Effect and Affection
by Z. Alexander
Summary: Sequel to Cause and Effect. Trouble's brewing in Konoha, and Naruto will have to learn the hard way that sometimes, before you can save others, you have to save yourself. And sometimes, you have to let others save you.
1. Prologue

Hello, everyone! I'm back for round two! This is the sequel to "Cause and Effect," which I promised at the end of the story. If you notice, up at the top of the page it says "Action/Adventure/Drama," and it doesn't say "Romance." That is because, while this one actually has a couple of relationships in it, they are not a central focus. This is just the prologue; don't worry, my chapters will be roughly the same length as the ones in "Cause and Effect."

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, the original Naruto plot, or Naruto's orange jumpsuit...which is a shame, because orange looks really good on me.

* * *

Naruto was sure no one would have guessed she'd pick espionage as her specialty, but she did. It was a perfect field for her; she didn't like killing people, and she was a stealth expert (come on; how many other eleven-year-olds would be able to hide from chuunin and jounin after a prank, wearing _bright orange?). _

She didn't have to kill people, usually, because that would ruin her missions. Her specialty was blending in, and she was damn good.

And it was gratifying, really, to come back after a three-month mission with crucial information, having never been caught…like now.

"Jounin Uzumaki Naruto reporting, 1400 hours; mission: success."

Minato-sensei looked up from his desk and caught her eyes. He nodded. "Details?"

"It was as we suspected; target A had no conscious connection. Targets B through E planned the assassination, hired missing-nin, and set them upon Kimura Daitaro. Kimura-san's guards made quick work of the missing-nin, and target A is now being held safely by Water Country Protection.

As to the secondary mission, I learned that all product trades _are_ down a quarter percent already. There is no apparent cause, but I suspect some movement in the background; it wouldn't surprise me if someone in the shadows is looking to monopolize the market." She handed over a stack of papers. "Pages one through four are the separate mission reports; pages five through eleven are numbers and all the information I was able to get during that three-month time period."

He skimmed through the pages, frowning, before sighing. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, don't eat ramen from Water Country. It sucks."

Well, that got a chuckle, at least. "All right, you're dismissed."

"Thanks!"

She rushed out of the room, shutting the door carefully, waited ten seconds, and then opened it again. "Now I'm not doing some stupid report, so I can ask…what's up?"

He gave her a wary look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, how's it going for you, being Hokage and all that?"

He sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "You know…it's not something for the faint of heart. Every day, I send people out to their potential deaths. People look to me for guidance, and if I don't know what to do, I have to make the best decision for the whole village. Still," he continued with a slight smile, "it's probably one of the most rewarding missions I've ever had. This village has so much potential; I'm honored to be the leader of these people."

"…So, that means you're good, right?"

"Yes, that means I'm good."

Naruto stood in silence for a moment, before asking a bit nervously, "So…do you remember my friend Gaara? The one in Suna?"

"Yes," he replied, face impassive.

"Um…so, did you get hold of them? How did it go? Is he safe?"

Minato-sensei sighed. "It's complicated, you know. As the Hokage, I represent Konohagakure, as a whole. And because of that, I need to be diplomatic at all times; otherwise, I could bring about conflict, or even start a war. We've just recovered from that cold war with Iwa; many of our resources were drained. We can't afford conflict with Wind Country, and I _did _talk to the Kazekage…but I couldn't ask outright, and he didn't admit to any plans. I'm sorry, Naruto…but it looks like this is one battle you can't even fight."

"…Oh."

Naruto refused to let herself feel worthless again. Self-pity did no good for anyone, and there were more people to save. She plastered a smile on her face. "Well, then, I'll just have to help him when I meet him!"

Minato-sensei nodded. "I'm sure you'll be able to."

"Thanks," she said sincerely.

He smiled a bit. "You should go see Kushina and Rin; they've been worried about you."

"But it wasn't even a hard mission!"

"But it was a _long _one," he reminded pointedly. "Besides, Kushina has some news for you, which I am not allowed to tell."

She grinned. "Or what?"

"I don't know, and I don't _want _to know."

"Well, okay. I'll go see them. I have to take a bath anyway; I stink like Water Country borders and forest fire."

"I actually noticed. Take care."

"Hey, that's not nice, old man! And I always take care."

"I'm not _old. _Now go!"

"I'm going, I'm going," she replied, smiling bigger now. She exited the office with her pack, heading toward her apartment. She'd go to the hot springs, and stay there until she was all wrinkly and gross.

Her apartment was unlocked, so she knew that someone was inside; it wasn't surprising, since she'd asked everyone to look after her plants until she got back.

She_ hadn't _been expecting _both _Rin _and _Kushina-neechan to be _waiting _there, directing semi-frightening grins at her.

"Whoa, guys, what's this," she asked, backing up toward the wall and edging toward her futon. "What're you doing here?"

"Kakashi spotted you entering the village," Kushina-neechan said. "So we hurried over. See, it's come to our attention that-"

"No, that wasn't me," she protested, waving her hands in front of her chest. "I swear! Somebody must've copied my style!"

Rin frowned. "Uh…what are you talking about?"

Oh…so they _weren't _coming after her for the Hokage Mountain? That was good…because for once, it _hadn't _been her. Who would do the same prank twice? That just wasn't cool. Still…whoever that had been had done a pretty good job. Too bad she'd been on her way out; she didn't have time to admire it properly.

"I…uh…never mind, it's not important."

"Are you talking about the Hokage Mountain incident," Kushina-neechan asked suspiciously. "Because we _were _sure we had that figured out. Unless there's something you want to tell us…?"

"Who was it," Naruto asked, intrigued despite the danger she still sensed radiating off her two 'guests.'

"It was little Arisu Anju."

"_What? _But she's…like…nine years old, and her parents _love_ Minato-sensei! Why would she…"

Kushina-neechan chuckled and Rin's eyes took on that same frightening glint they'd had previously. Naruto swallowed. "Uh…hey, now, whatever I did, let's talk about it first! We don't have to-"

"You smell," Rin pointed out. "Get your stuff. We're going to the springs, and we can talk about _everything there."_

It was with a heavy sense of foreboding that Naruto collected bath items, clothing changes (no matter what anyone said, orange was the best color, and she'd never give her jumpsuits up), and other odds and ends (like fresh kunai and a toothbrush). She didn't really like girls' weekends…but something told her that a girls' weekend was exactly what Kushina-neechan and Rin had planned, and she _knew _that like every other time, it would only end in embarrassment for her.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"So," Naruto began, sinking into the steamy water and closing her eyes. Despite her fear of utter humiliation – she really didn't want to be 'playfully' tossed over the fence again by crazy redheaded sort-of relations –, she was glad she'd come. And hopefully, she could keep the conversation _away _from her earlier cross-dressing tendencies this time. Honestly, how old _were _those two…three…four…damn it. Everyone thought it was funny…even Naruto, sometimes.

"So, what is it you guys had to talk to me about?"

"Oh. That. Well, it's _come _to our _attention _that last time we wanted to do this, you _asked _for that mission. That wasn't very nice," Kushina-neechan replied.

"Hey," Naruto protested halfheartedly. The water really _did _feel nice. "I have to pay my bills _somehow. _Besides; who can blame me, after what happened before?"

"Naruto, you _insisted _you could still be mistaken for a boy. So I tossed you over the fence to show you that you do, in fact, look like a girl."

"Because I was _naked, _and they aren't _blind!"_

"Naruto."

"Hey, Kushina-neechan, I can prove it. Ask anyone in Wave Country; they'll all tell you I'm a nice, polite – if kind of girly – boy. And anyway, I was _trying _to explain why I'd be so good in the espionage field! I didn't _ask _to be thrown over the fence! You're lucky I'm a ninja, or I could've been _seriously hurt!"_

Rin chuckled quietly. Naruto glared. "And _you," _she continued. "It's _not _funny. So excuse me if I'm a little wary of taking weekends with you guys!"

She settled back against the edge of the spring again with a huff, folding her arms and closing her eyes again so she didn't have to_see _the faces of the two women who were laughing at her. Just then, Kushina-neechan gasped softly and Naruto opened her eyes.

"Naruto, I can't believe I let this slip my mind! It's one of the most important reasons we decided to come here!"

She squinted through the steam. "What is it? Is everything okay?"

"What? Of course it is!" Though Naruto couldn't see Kushina-neechan's face, she could _hear _the excited smile. "Naruto…Minato and I…"

Suddenly, Naruto had a very bad feeling. She didn't like the way that statement was said; she didn't like the tone Kushina-neechan had used.

"I'm going to have a baby."

She willed herself to be calm, and not panic. She was rather proud of herself when she asked quietly, "When is your baby due?"

"Hmm…well, it's March, right? Unless she's late…the middle of November."

A bit of relief made its way into Naruto's system, but she was still worried. After all, she still hadn't figured out a way to…save her parents…and it had been pressing on her mind for some time now. "That's…that's great, Kushina-neechan," she answered, managing to put believable cheer into her voice. "I'm happy for you."

There was a short silence in which Naruto searched for a topic – any topic – that would steer the conversation away from the hardest thing she'd had to deal with in a while. Finally, inspiration hit.

"So…what's this about Anju?"

Rin laughed. "Oh, that…well, it seems that she has quite the crush on Uchiha Itachi," she explained.

"Um…isn't she like two years older than him? And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Like you can talk, Naruto," Rin said in a mock-admonishing tone. "I know about _your _little crush, and technically, you're a couple of years older than him."

Naruto colored in embarrassment and irritation. "I don't like anyone!"

"You don't have to hide it," she teased. "We all know that you and Obito-"

"Grah! Don't say such weird things! He's my _best friend. _I_ can't _like him…it would be creepy."

Well, it wasn't like Rin had to know _everything._

Besides; it wasn't like she _liked _him or anything. He was just…you know…the only guy she _would _go out with, if she _had _to. But she didn't have to, so it was a moot point.

"Then you're all set to marry his little cousin, then?"

"Kushina-neechan! That's a horrible thought! He's only _seven!"_

"Well…he'll be eight this year," she reasoned laughingly. "Besides; he's completely taken with you. I wouldn't be surprised if he gave you your 'engagement shuriken' any day now!"

She was just _not _going to think about that. Itachi was _seven! _And Sasuke's _brother! _And Obito's _cousin! _Yes, he was a cute kid, but in the way that a kitten was cute. Small, and very temperamental.

"You guys are horrible," she muttered. "Please don't encourage him. And anyway…you still haven't told me what he has to do with the Hokage Mountain."

"Well, he wasn't involved, obviously," Rin continued. "But Anju seems to think they'll get married one day. Of course, when he found out, he found her and told her, very seriously, that he was going to marry 'Naruto-neesan.' She was very sad. When she found a picture of you, she matched it to Hokage-sama's face on the mountain, and…well, you saw what it looked like when she was through with it."

She was torn between laughing and curling up in a ball, waiting for all this to pass over. Missions, she could handle. Fights, she could handle. But this? No way!

"You know," Kushina-neechan said conspiratorially, "it might discourage Itachi-kun if you asked out his cousin."

Naruto closed her eyes and wished, with all her heart, for a long, long mission. Preferably one which would take her away from Rin and Kushina-neechan until they forgot all this craziness!

Nobody had ever bothered to warn her to be careful what she wished for.


	2. Melancholic Observation

My oh my, I'm actually updating. This is the second version. The first version was longer, but this one flows better, I think. It also shows a bit of the maturity Naruto has gained since she went back in time, and describes her clothing (a little, because I hate describing clothes. It's pointless, really). I also mention a fairly important OC; that is, she's important because she's involved with the next mission. She's a handy plot device. This is a bit melancholy, but it also shows a bit of what nearly EVERYONE keeps asking me for (specifically, hints of the upcoming romance). Remember, my dear readers, that this is primarily an ACTION story. That means that romance is second priority.

That said, I should warn you that this chapter is...kind of fluffy. I nearly gagged when I read it over. But it fits, so I kept it.

And now...chapter one of "Effect and Affection!" Read on, my lovelies!

* * *

"Kushina-neechan told me the good news," Naruto commented, keeping her tone neutral. She avoided Minato-sensei's eyes, because the forced smile on her face would look more real. She could tell they were both ecstatic, and for once, she wanted to act with a little propriety. After all…they were her parents, even if nobody ever acknowledged it out loud. 

"I would've been surprised if she hadn't." He leaned forward in his chair and rested his face on both his hands, palms digging into his eye sockets. He let out a muffled sigh. "I actually wanted to ask you something, Naruto. A favor."

"What kind of favor?" Naruto tore her eyes away from the sad picture of Minato-sensei trying to repress a headache in order to work longer than his sleep-deprived system would allow, and looked out the window behind his desk. Night had fallen a long time ago – perhaps three hours or so – and he hadn't slept the night before, either. She knew because he had purple eyelids; for some reason, when he had been up too long, his eyelids were the first to show signs of sickness.

"Well, it's actually two different favors. I'll ask you the good one first."

She nodded warily.

"Kushina and I…well, we wanted to know if you'd be our baby's sister. I know you…uh…well, you're part of our family, and it would mean a lot to us. Kushina wanted me to ask you…I'm not sure why, and I'm not going to question her. She'd probably just tell me that she's a woman, and therefore she knows more than me, and I'm not really in a state to question _anything _right now, much less worry about who's 'right' in the situation."

Despite the worry she felt when Minato-sensei didn't take his palms out of his eyes, she decided to file that away. She could win many an argument like that…

Well, probably not, since she had always stressed gender equality.

Back to the matter at hand, though…

"I'd love to." It was the truth. Naruto had worried and worried over the weekend, until finally, she'd decided that no matter what, she'd be there for the baby who _would _actually be her sibling. "I've never had a sister before."

"Sister?" Minato-sensei chuckled tiredly. "Kushina's got her heart set on a girl. I don't have a preference, but if it _is _a girl, I'd want her to be like…Rin."

"What? Not me? I'm hurt, old man!"

She could hear the smile in his reply, even though his arms were covering his mouth. "Rin didn't spend the first seventeen years of her life cross-dressing."

Ouch.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll make sure to bring Rin when I come to see her, and they can talk about all that tea-ceremony crap. And then, when they're done, I can show her what life is really all about."

"Pranks and ramen?"

She mock-gasped. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

"Well, and training, but that's something a kid should do with her parents, right?"

She didn't miss the tensing of his shoulders, and she cursed inwardly. "Anyway, when she's older, I'll show her how to train Uzumaki Naruto style. We need more girls who favor taijutsu; it comes in handy when people underestimate you. Hopefully she's better at controlling her chakra than me; maybe she could learn Tsunade-babaa's super-strength like Sakura-chan, and then _nobody _could mess with her!"

His arms seemed to just _give out, _and he rested his head on his forearms. "I'm exhausted."

"Then you should go to bed! Or is there something you still have to do?"

"Well, that's where the second favor comes in. I need you for another mission in Water Country, but this time I need you to alternate between Water and Wave without being suspicious. Kudo Chinatsu got a lead on the potential monopolization; she'll stay in Wave, and you'll have to visit now and then. Compare notes, discuss the weather, and have some girl talk; I know you don't like to be bored by that kind of thing, but you need to look as natural as possible; like close friends, or sisters."

Naruto frowned. "How long would it be?"

"I'd expect you to report by August 20; that's roughly five months from now."

"And when would I leave?"

"Tuesday morning."

She really didn't want this mission. She wanted to stick around for at least two weeks, and soak in the familiar warmth that was Konohagakure. She wanted to joke with her friends, sleep in her own apartment, and eat Ichiraku.

But…she had responsibilities to her village, and to her friends. After eight years of shinobi work, she could appreciate how important stuff like this was, and if this didn't get fixed, the village would be in serious trouble; maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but they would, and Naruto didn't want the next generation to suffer just because she wanted to relax.

"I'll do it."

"I'm glad."

She furrowed her brow. "Minato-sensei, you're gonna make yourself sick."

"I know."

She sighed and stood, stretched, and muffled a yawn. "I'm going home and going to bed…it would be smart if you did too. I bet Kushina-neechan wants to see her husband, you know."

Her tone was light and teasing, but her words were true. "You shouldn't patronize your Hokage," Minato-sensei stated, but there was no true scolding in his words.

"Well, someone has to do it! If an enemy ninja randomly snuck in here right now, how would you even sense them?"

"I wouldn't. But you would, so it's all good," he supplied jokingly, his tired voice still muffled by the desk.

"Oh, I see what's going on here! You just wanted me here so I could protect you," she crowed.

"Mm, I think you're right. I _should _get to bed. I have to finish this stack before I go, though…" He patted a small stack of papers with his left hand without looking up.

Naruto glanced at the papers and choked on air. "Are…are you kidding me? Those are mission reports from _eight months ago! _Why do you have to go through them again?"

"Well, eight months ago is when I first noticed the trading irregularities. I'm looking through the away mission reports from that general time period to find our original clues, to see if something from the past can shed light on our situation. So far, I haven't found _anything."_

"Bleh," she muttered. Then, louder, she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

He finally raised his head, and Naruto noticed that his eyes were just the _tiniest _bit bloodshot. "It depends. Can you sort through dates and figures at the same time…and do you know what to look for in this situation?"

She shrugged. That wasn't hard. "I had to learn that. I was gonna be the Hokage, or die trying. I learned everything I could. So, yes, is the short answer."

"Then yes, you can. If you would take August 1 through 15, I'll take 16 through 31. I've already done June and July; with your help, maybe I could actually get to bed before I have to get up again."

She winced. When _she _was Hokage, she'd have to figure out a way to get this done quickly. Unfortunately, kage-bunshin – while excellent for training quickly or learning things – would be a bad thing to use in this situation. They _could _think for themselves…but they weren't _real. _She'd have to dispel them just to understand the information; it was impractical.

She rifled through the stack of papers until she got to the last August 16, and pulled everything out from behind it.

It was tedious work, but it _had _to get done, and if Minato-sensei pushed himself harder, he'd get sick.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Monday morning found Naruto with a dead left arm and a crick in her neck; she'd fallen asleep some time in the middle of August 14 (and she wished she had been able to stay up just a little longer), and slept at a funny angle, using her arm as a pillow.

"Bleh," she groaned. "Go away, sun."

Unsurprisingly, the sun didn't answer, but someone else did. "C'mon, Naruto-neechan…wake up."

She felt an annoying prodding of her shoulder and kind of wanted to break the person's finger, but she was too tired to do anything but just lie there, ignoring the prodder. Maybe, if she ignored them long enough, they'd go away.

"Naruto, I don't think Hokage-sama quite appreciates you drooling on his desk," a new voice said.

"Ugh."

"Yes, I agree, it _is _disgusting. You should get up."

"Ugh," Naruto said again, feeling distinctly repetitive – and more awake by the second. Finally, she sat up and cracked her neck, fiercely ignoring the sharp pain in her neck and shoulders when she did so.

"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you that's damaging?" Rin's face came into view after Naruto rubbed her eyes. "Honestly, your head is going to roll right off your shoulders one day."

"Well, maybe then I'd get decent sleep," she grumbled, fighting off a yawn.

She looked to her left and saw Minato-sensei still in _his _chair, leaning on his hand and looking very much like the living dead. "Morning, Naruto."

His voice was hoarse and his eyes were droopy. "If that's what I look like," she said, "then I'm going to put a bag over my head until I sleep again."

"Naruto! That's not very nice," Rin chided.

"I'm not a nice person," Naruto replied, this time unable to keep the yawn to herself. "You should _know _this by now. What are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"Minato didn't come _home _last night," Kushina-neechan said, folding her arms and pursing her lips. "I woke this morning _alone,_ so I came to see why."

"We were up late doing _eight month old paperwork. _Can you believe it? Your husband is insane."

"And he's the Hokage," Minato-sensei reminded, pushing himself up from his desk stiffly. "Ugh."

"I can hear your back cracking, old man," she teased.

He raised an eyebrow in her direction, rolled his eyes, and moved to stand behind to Kushina-neechan. He put his arms around her and put his face in her hair. "Morning, Kushina," he murmured, eyes closed.

Naruto made a face and pulled on Rin's sleeve. "C'mon…let's get out of here. You have no idea how weird this is for me."

Rin hesitated. "Um…"

"Is there something you need," Minato-sensei asked, glancing at his former student.

"Uh…kind of…I was just wondering if…"

"Oh," he said, as if understanding Rin's strange broken phrases. Well…he probably _did. _"I spoke with Riku. Even though I am Hokage, I have no jurisdiction over the hospital procedures, unless there is an act of perfidy…as you know. However, she told me she has been planning to speak to you for a while now. Don't worry; I'm sure things will be fine."

"Oh…that's good," Rin replied, relieved. Naruto watched the exchange, feeling her natural curiosity spring up again. However, Minato-sensei hadn't moved from his position behind Kushina-neechan, and she kind of wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Rin…can we go now?"

"Yeah, Naruto…we can go."

They walked in silence for a moment, before Naruto glanced at her friend. "How come _you _were at sensei's office? I mean…what time is it, anyway? Kushina-neechan didn't come get you, did she? It's dark right now…did you have a mission? Are you-"

"Naruto, stop! You're being spastic," Rin interrupted in amused exasperation. "It's nearly five, Kushina-san and I met up on the way, I don't have a mission, and I was looking for _you."_

Naruto blinked and stopped in her tracks. "You…remembered all of that?"

"…What kind of question is _that, _Naruto," Rin asked laughingly, gently cuffing Naruto upside the head. "Did you think I _wouldn't?"_

"Well…no," Naruto replied, looking down at the ground and moving again. "It's just…well, you _said _I was being spastic. I just wasn't sure if you'd gotten everything."

"I did," Rin assured. "Anyway, I was looking for you because nobody has seen you except Hokage-sama and Kushina-san and me. The rest of our team wants to see you too, and we decided to watch the sunrise. We planned this last week, but then Kakashi-kun got a mission…so he won't be there. He was actually okay with coming, though, and I _think _he was secretly disappointed. Our friends want to see you soon, too."

Naruto swallowed. Some of those friends were hard to handle in ways she couldn't express very well. "Um…is Gai one of the 'friends' you're talking about, Rin?"

"Well, I know he's looking forward to seeing you, but he's on a mission right now. You know, he's not as freaky as you think…"

"I know he's not a freak," Naruto muttered. "It's just…it's hard to see him."

Rin cocked her head and watched Naruto, still matching Naruto's strides. "Why?"

"Because I knew him as Gai-sensei…and Lee was his best student. They were so much alike in looks and fighting style…so Gai kind of reminds me of him…but he isn't _Lee. _Honestly, it's hard to watch Gai at all, because I know that I'll never know the same Lee I did before."

Naruto_ hated _this part of it. She knew so much about her generation…things which had _already _saved lives…but she would never be able to be with them again. Even if they somehow miraculously turned out to be their _exact same selves, _Naruto wasn't the right age to go through the academy with them…be in their genin cells…or even joke around with them like she used to.

"I…I understand," Rin offered quietly. "Well…I don't _understand,_but I understand your words. It must be hard."

"Yeah…it is. But hey…at least we can stop the bad stuff, right?" She forced herself to think positively, because being miserable was…something she didn't want to go through.

Plus, she sucked at everything when she was sad.

"…Yeah."

Naruto paused, before grinning and asking, "Oh! Is…um…what happened with Hatsuka-neechan?"

Rin smiled at Naruto. "It's a girl."

"Heh, I knew it," Naruto cheered. "What did they name her?"

"…Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

"Knew that too," she whispered. _Sakura-chan._

_I'll make sure you don't die like that again, _she thought.

Rin stopped and pointed to a door. "Naruto? Uh…this is it."

Naruto looked up to see her own apartment. "Oh…right. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"I noticed," Rin said dryly.

Naruto grasped the handle, and let herself in.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

The first thing Naruto noticed when they got to the top of the Hokage Mountain was Obito…or rather, the fact that he wasn't there. She kind of felt disappointed…they _were _best friends, after all. Even though it still hurt a little to say that; she'd thought of Sasuke as her best friend since she was twelve…the _first _time. At first, she hadn't wanted to admit that Obito was her best friend, because it would be like _replacing _Sasuke…but after a while, she had been forced to admit that Sasuke didn't _exist_ yet. She didn't want to go through life without a close friend like that, and…even though it was painful, she had been able to let go, a little.

And she was kind of _miffed, _too, because of his absence.

Bastard.

"I'm sure he'll be here," Rin murmured behind her. She faced her friend.

"Who? What? What are you talking about?"

"Obito," Rin said, sighing and rolling her eyes. "I'm sure he'll be here. He'd never miss out on something like _this."_

"Uh…okay," Naruto responded, feeling slightly bewildered. How did Rin know what she'd been thinking? And why did she get the feeling Rin was…not saying everything she wanted to say?

"Rin?"

"Yes?"

Naruto didn't know how to ask. "Never mind."

"Okay."

Naruto sat down on the edge of the cliff, one knee up to her chest, gazing out at the village. She'd grown used to seeing it this way; it kind of felt like…home. She constantly had to remind herself that it _was _home; she wouldn't be getting back to her original time the same way she'd gotten to the past. And really…why would she want to? The people she wanted to save were the people she_ couldn't _save, back then. She'd grown up a _lot _since then…and she found that, weirdness aside, she liked it here.

She wasn't _alone _in her endeavors, like she'd feared she would be…and it was nice.

She could feel Rin next to her, and she realized that she was close to Rin in a way she'd never been with Sakura-chan. It was a bittersweet feeling; for the first time, she realized that she'd slowly moved on. And she realized, now, that moving on didn't mean forgetting, and…maybe it wasn't as bad as she'd thought. Naruto would _never _go back on her promises; she _would _make sure things were different this time around.

They were quiet for another ten minutes or so, and Naruto let the cool breeze pass through her now-short hair (she usually had to cut it and then grow it out again, after certain missions). The peacefulness of the village was almost heartbreaking…but not.

Naruto realized she was growing up…_had _grown up.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," a voice said from behind her, and Naruto smiled a small smile. She'd missed her friend a _lot _while she was gone; he had some sort of special power. He made her laugh, even when she didn't think she could.

She leaned back on her elbows and tilted her head back. He looked kind of weird from this angle. "You are, are you?"

He looked to be considering carefully. "…Yes," he finally concluded, a weird smile on his face. "I might've missed this.

Naruto realized that the weirdness was in part due to the fact that she was still gazing at him upside-down from the ground. She didn't _move, _though. "Why were you late _this _time?"

It was an endless source of entertainment, this game they always played. He was better at being on-time for important things, and he really only made stupid excuses any more when he was very late on accident. They _both _knew this, Rin knew this. Even _Kakashi _knew this. But it was still amusing.

"There was a fire," he said, making a vague motion with his hand. "So, naturally, I had to stop and make sure nobody was burning to death."

His voice was oddly quiet and he _did _smell like smoke and fire, and Naruto was kind of worried. But she didn't _ask, _because if it was true, he'd tell them eventually. So for now, she laughed quietly and replied with the customary, "Yeah, right."

Then, she sat up (finally), blinked away the stars and sudden fuzziness, and turned around. Patting the ground next to her, she said, "Well, anyway, you didn't miss it. So sit down and watch."

He complied with her request (demand), and dropped to the ground with a grin. "Didja miss me?"

"Only if you missed me," she replied, like always. He would reply with 'Why would I miss _you?' _She would reply with 'You have your answer.' And thus, the tradition would be carried out.

Instead, he replied, "Yeah…I kinda did."

And she didn't really know how to respond to that, because it was new territory and even though she was great at thinking on her feet in battle, she kind of sucked at it when she was both exhausted and thrown for a loop when it was a conversation between friends.

So she settled for an odd-feeling smile and said, "Oh. Then I guess…you have your answer?"

He laughed and patted her on the head like she was a little kid, and _then _it was all back to normal. That sudden tension had been_ weird _and truthfully, it kind of scared her…not that she'd ever _tell _him that, because he'd probably go out of his way to do it more often and she couldn't decide whether she _wanted_ to hear him say incredibly creepy and kind of sappy things like that.

Anyway, she could see red on the horizon and her stomach was feeling weird because she hadn't eaten yet, so she didn't have to think on it right now.

Naruto couldn't decide if she liked the sunrise or the sunset better. On the one hand, sunrises represented things like hope and promises; on the other hand, sunsets represented all the things she'd never see again, and it helped her remember and helped her let go.

Her stomach turned again, and she thought that maybe all this philosophical crap was coming from that lightheaded feeling she had. It was like she hadn't eaten in days, though she _had _eaten yesterday. Maybe it was because Obito smelled like fire, and that was really what set her stomach off. Damn him and his fire-smelling tendencies; they made her hungry.

As she watched the spectacular sight, she sighed a bit. She supposed she really _was _turning into a girl, if she could get all sentimental and philosophical about stuff like sunrises and the smell of fire (wait…no, she was just hungry. Remember?), but that was okay…she guessed…because then maybe Minato-sensei would tell her he was just kidding about wanting his daughters to be like Rin and tell her he'd want them to be like _Naruto _and be all proud of her and stuff. She didn't really know why she was thinking it, though, because Rin was probably a better role-model anyway. Konohamaru had _died _because he had the same attitude she did.

Naruto pulled herself out of _those _thoughts before they could properly take hold of her, because she knew that thinking on those things would only lead her down the path of self-pity, and that wasn't going to help anyone.

The sun had risen, and the world was bright.

"I think I'm hungry," she remarked, and stood. Stretching out her arms and legs, she added, "Anyone up for breakfast?"

"Sure," Obito replied. "I'm not supposed to take any missions until Wednesday unless I absolutely have to, because…well, I think they want me to rest or something. I…uh…spent about a week in the hospital, and Rin-chan wasn't allowed to take my case because we're_ friends _and they're afraid of anyone playing favorites. I'm bored to tears."

Naruto was kind of jealous, but only for a second. She knew she'd get bored, too, and…yeah. "Rin? What about you?"

"Sorry…I have to be at the hospital by six. I usually eat after my rounds."

Naruto was a little disappointed, but Rin had a _steady _job, and her patients depended on her. She was a good medic.

"Oh…okay."

Rin gave them both a quick smile. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. Go take care of all those sick and injured people, Rin!"

Naruto got an eye roll in response.

"Bye, Rin-chan," Obito said, sounding kind of stricken. He was probably disappointed, too, and more so than Naruto because he _liked _Rin.

She didn't have time to wonder why that made her more jealous than it should before he was grinning at her again. "So…my place or yours?"

He _totally _deserved that punch to the face, and she wasn't sorry at _all._

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

She glanced around her apartment again. It was clean and cared for and felt like _home; _she immediately shucked off her coat and dropped it on the floor by the screen. Rin had always despaired of her clothing choices; the orange and black jacket, which had been designed almost exactly like the one she'd worn when she was fifteen the _first _time, was something of an insult to Rin's eyes. Or so _she _said. Naruto didn't get it; what was wrong with orange?

Naruto fingered the hem of her black T-shirt, trying to decide whether she wanted to duck behind the screen and change or not. She decided to wait until _after _her teammate left; who knew if he'd pop his head around that screen to ask some inane question? It didn't matter how boyish she was; now, people _knew _she was a girl. She wasn't self-conscious, but Rin would probably kill her if she (accidentally or not) gave anyone a free show.

"Well, sit down or something," Naruto said, gesturing to her ample space. "I've got plenty of floor."

Naruto had decided long ago to forego any unnecessary furniture – like chairs – because chances were she'd never use them anyway. She really only used her apartment for meals and sleeping. And changing, of course, but that was irrelevant.

"Nah, I want to cook with you. It's been too long. I just wish Rin-chan was here, because then it could _really _be like the old days."

It was true; they hadn't actually had 'team breakfast' for over a year. Not that they were actually a _team _any more; they hadn't been Team Kakashi for nearly _two_ years. "Yeah…like we were twelve again."

…And everything was still simple. They were all younger, and nobody had gotten kidnapped, nobody was in Anbu, nobody was Hokage, nobody was pregnant, and she didn't have to leave for months at a time to discover why supply and trade was screwed up.

But she was a different person now; stronger, both physically and emotionally. She'd learned a lot from these people; and maybe she was just having an off day, because she was hungry and still tired and she felt lightheaded because of Obito's fire smell, and that was why she was thinking these dark thoughts.

She didn't usually think like this.

"You're thinking too much," he said quietly, touching her shoulder.

"Then talk so I don't _have _to," she replied without thinking, and shrugged his hand off.

He made a strange frowny-face and sat down. "I'm suddenly not hungry. Let's talk instead."

This was one of those times when it was _annoying _he knew her so well. _"I'm _hungry."

"So eat something."

She took out an instant ramen she'd bought the night before on her way home from the springs. After a moment's hesitation, she got out another…just in case. When all else failed, ramen was _sure_ to succeed. After making sure the water was hot, she poured some of it into the cup and sat down next to her friend to wait.

"So…what did you want to talk about?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Then why did you _suggest _it," she asked, sounding exasperated even to her own ears. In truth, she was kind of scared and…weirded out. Why would he randomly pick _now _to have a serious heart-to-heart which made her a zillion times uncomfortable?

He shrugged. "It's not like there's anything better to do."

"We could train," she reminded.

"No we couldn't," he replied with what sounded like a snort. "Your eyes are droopy and you look like the living dead. You'd drop before we even found an empty training area."

"I_ knew_ I should've put a bag over my head," she murmured.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Uh…what?"

"That's what Minato-sensei looked like this morning. I said earlier that if_ I _looked like that, I was going to put a bag over my head until I slept again."

"That's…really stupid," he said bluntly.

"That's not very _nice," _she replied.

"Neither was telling sensei, but you did it."

"_He's_ not a _lady."_

"Neither are _you._ I'm pretty sure everyone in Water Country thinks you're a nice, polite boy…even if you _are _kind of girly."

Was he…like…a psychic or something?

"Anyway, you obviously wanted to talk about _something."_

He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, almost tentatively, "Uh…maybe. Kind of. You've got some time before your next mission, right?"

"No," she said moodily. "I leave tomorrow morning for another insanely long mission. I'll be gone for about five months."

"That sucks," he said dejectedly.

"Why do you ask?"

"Eh…no reason. I just wanted to know."

She doubted that, for some reason, but she really _was _tired, and she didn't really want to press it. Now that she was _home, _and not out in the cold air, she was feeling increasingly sleepy.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you _really _miss me, or were you just saying that?"

"What kind of question is _that," _she asked, without any real conviction. Her eyes were closing of their own accord, and she kind of felt floaty or something.

"A serious one! I really wanna know."

"Well, duh. I always do. I miss everyone."

She still couldn't quite find the energy to banter like she always did. She felt warm and smelled fire and ramen and something else she could probably pinpoint if she opened her eyes. But she didn't.

"But…did you miss _me?"_

"Duh."

Her head was _seriously _slipping. She heard Obito sigh and then she felt him nudge her shoulder. "Naruto, you're falling asleep."

"_You're_ the one who told me I looked like the living dead," she retorted, though it might not have made sense because her tongue felt heavy like her eyes and her brain.

"Naruto?"

"Mm?"

There was quiet for a moment, before she heard him say, "You should get in bed."

"Mm," she agreed.

There was quiet for another little while, after she felt her head get lifted up and put on something else. Then, he spoke again. "Naruto?"

"Mm?"

"Your ramen is getting cold."

"Mm," she replied.

"…You're not going to eat it?"

"Mm," she affirmed.

"Then…can I?"

"Mm," she consented.

He was quiet for only a second, before asking, "Naruto?"

"Mm?"

"I'm going to make your bed, seeing as if you sleep here you'll get a kink in your neck and it'll hurt like a bitch when you wake up."

"Mm."

Then, there was darkness.


	3. Hello and Goodbye

Okay…I just wanted to say that I LOVE you all! I see how many views my story gets, and all the alerts/favorites/C2 additions make me smile! And…your reviews, guys. They just make me feel all gooey inside! ♥♥♥

I'm sorry for not updating as much as I used to, but I'm afraid Life caught up with me, and I can't get away until it turns its back for a moment.

But, on the plus side, I wrote seventeen and a half pages for you! And in this chapter, we get to see more of the people in Konoha!

Lessee…I should warn you of some stuff, since it's not what I usually write: light fluff, a tiny bit of pointlessness (at least, at this point – these things will be important in the future, but right now they seem like extra nonsense), and slightly melancholic topics.

* * *

Naruto was asleep before Obito had even pulled out the futon. When he had made the bed, he found her in an awkward, slumped position against the wall, and he rolled his eyes. "Idiot. You would have fallen asleep in your food if we'd gone somewhere." 

She didn't wake. He supposed he could've prodded her awake, but she wasn't heavy any more; or maybe he was just much stronger. In any case, it didn't take much to put her on her futon, and this way he didn't have to hear her grumbling.

She wouldn't remember when she woke, so it wouldn't be fun.

He removed her forehead protector, pushed her hair back from her face and smiled for reasons he didn't really care to understand. She'd fallen asleep at probably the _worst _time _ever, _but that was Naruto for you. Always causing trouble.

"I was going to tell you something important, Naruto," he murmured, knowing she couldn't hear him but wanting to say it aloud anyway.

He moved away from the futon and readjusted the screen. Sitting down, he tested the ramen with a finger; it wasn't cold yet. And it was still delicious.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you, but my aunt is pregnant again. I'll have to tell you when you wake up," he continued through a mouthful of noodle. "She's due at the end of July. It's a boy."

He paused and took another bite, sucking the noodles up quickly. After he swallowed, he sighed. "They're going to name him Sasuke. Lots of people we know are gonna have children, actually…the Yamanaka family, the Akimichi, the Nara. Inuzuka Tsume is expecting a boy. They're all really excited. I don't really get it, though."

He was silent until the cup was finished. "To be perfectly honest, I'm kind of…jealous, I guess. Not that I want to have kids right now…honestly, I only just turned seventeen. I wish you'd been here for my birthday. Rin-chan was called in for a double shift and Kakashi…well, even if he wasn't on a mission, I'm not sure he would've been any help. My clan isn't huge on birthdays, but it's embarrassing to be ambushed by random clan members you don't remember or don't even like or respect and pretend you do. You're probably the only person who would be able to make it fun."

He was suddenly very glad she couldn't hear him; it was kind of nice to be talking to someone without having to worry about what they'd say. "I guess…I'm jealous of the kids. Those are…the friends you had, you know? They're the ones you've been working so hard to save. It's stupid, because you're my friend, but sometimes…I'm worried that you'll forget about us to focus on them. I _know_you wouldn't…it's just a stupid thought I sometimes have."

He stretched and cracked his neck. "Anyway, I'm not leaving till you wake up. I've been waiting to see you for _months _and you already snuck away for a weekend without even saying _hello. _You're not escaping _this _time." With a quiet laugh, he added, "When you sleep, you _totally _look like a girl. You're gonna lose your cover soon, even _if _you cut your hair for another mission. Did they _really _fall for your act when you were…you know…this age the first time? Not including the Inuzuka, of course…they're not allowed to tell anyone if they notice things like that. You're lucky for that, you know."

Predictably, Naruto didn't respond. Obito sighed and leaned his head against the wall. He'd just have to wait it out.

Ooo.ooO

He heard the first signs of wakefulness and paused in his little game, but when Naruto only mumbled something unintelligible, he shrugged and resumed. He hadn't been to Naruto's apartment for longer than he'd thought; she'd acquired a cushioned target somewhere along the line, and a few dozen senbon to throw at it. She rarely used senbon – she preferred heavier objects – but apparently, she'd been practicing because the center of the target was worn and dented.

She mumbled something again, and he heard the rustle of blankets. He threw another senbon idly.

"Why are you still here," he heard her ask sleepily.

"Because you keep escaping and I wanted to spend some _time _with you today. You know you never even said hello when you got back?"

Naruto's face came into view; she must've knelt on her hands and knees and only put her head around the screen. "Rin and Kushina-neechan kidnapped me and took me to the hot springs. I _tried _to get out of it, you know, but…well, they're _women. _And angry women _scare _me."

He gaped at her. "You…you're serious, aren't you? Naruto, _you're _the same as _them. _You aren't afraid of fighting A-rank missing-nin while you're _undercover, _but you're afraid of people like you? That's just…wow."

"I am _not _a scary woman," she countered. "If you piss me off, I just beat you up. If you piss off Rin, she just kind of smiles that little smile of hers and then, just when you're not expecting it…_BAM!_ You're toast. I'd rather be punched point-blank than dragged into something really unpleasant when I least expect it."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Like being thrown over the fence in the baths because I tried to tell Kushina-neechan lots of people still mistake me for a boy. I made her mad earlier that day, and I _know _that was _totally _her revenge."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Just…get up, Naruto. We're hanging out today."

"I'm not doing anything you tell me to," she replied, closing her eyes. "Besides, I'm still tired."

"I'll make it worth your while. What do you want?"

She crawled out from behind the screen and looked at him thoughtfully. "Play a game with me and we have a deal."

He felt lost. "A…_game?"_

"Well, yeah," she answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We haven't played the training game in a _long _time. I kinda miss it."

Now that she mentioned it, he did too. But…he didn't want Rin-chan to yell at him again. "I can't yet."

"_Why? _You _look _fine," she replied, coming half way out from behind the screen and lying down on her stomach.

"Glad you know _you_ think so," he teased. "Still, I'm not supposed to be training yet. There was an accident on my last mission."

"Yeah? What was it," she challenged. He rolled his eyes.

"It was an escort mission. Or at least, that's what the client said. I guess,_technically, _it _was _an escort…but he was one of _those _people…the ones who seriously twist their requests. He failed to mention that I wasn't protecting him from some random potential ambush; and the valuables he was carting were actually _stolen. _He was meeting up with some people who wanted to buy them.

I think he wasn't planning to tell me what was going on, but the 'buyers' were actually officials, and because I was his escort, I got dragged into the whole thing. When we got the whole mess sorted out, some of his buddies decided I must've been an informer or something, and ganged up on me. Somebody got behind me and stabbed me – it hurt like_ hell – _and then my ribs got broken."

Naruto snorted. "You let a bunch of thugs beat you up?"

"No," he corrected, grinning, "I got stabbed, and then my ribs were broken. I didn't say I let them beat me up. _They_ didn't get away. One of the guys in town bandaged the stab wound, but I'd already aggravated the broken bones. Rin-chan was really mad at me, actually…she told me I was 'too reckless' and I was lucky my lungs weren't punctured. Bah…I won't die. I'm too stubborn."

"Well, yes, I can agree that you're hardheaded," she answered, "but…why are you still not allowed to train? I mean…shouldn't you be healed by now?"

"Naruto…not all of us heal as fast as you," he said exasperatedly. _"This _is the normal recovery rate. You're just…better at it than mostly everyone else."

"…Oh."

Suddenly, Naruto paused, glancing at him with narrowed eyes. He eyed her warily. _What the hell…?_

"You still smell like fire," she finally said.

Oh. _That._

He winced. "One of my cousins is learning her first Katon technique. She set the training grounds on fire, and got scared. I was the only one around and I had to get her out of there or she'd burn. She was too scared to move."

"Oh…that sucks." Naruto's face looked weird. It was like she didn't know what to do with herself, and it was out-of-place. And awkward.

"Well, does it bother you," he asked.

"The smell? No. I like the smell of fire, I guess. It just…makes my stomach feel weird. Plus I'm starving."

He decided not to ask about the stomach thing. It wasn't her stomach…it was just Naruto. _She _was weird.

"Well, you go get dressed, and I'll make some cup ramen."

She gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks. I'll be back in a minute."

She gathered some clothes and other items, and slipped her shoes on at the door. Before closing the door behind her, she paused and looked back. She looked like she was going to say something, but then she turned back and shut the door.

Yep, he was right. She _was _weird.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"So…what _do _you want to do then," Naruto asked, running a hand through her hair. They were outside now, and the sun said it was midmorning.

"I don't know…well, I wanted to talk to you about some stuff, but that can happen any time. What do _you _want to do?"

Naruto wrinkled her nose at Obito. Didn't he get it? "There's nothing _to _do except train, or eat but we've already done that and you're not allowed to train. Unless there's something you've been keeping a secret, I can't think of anything."

"What? You can't think of anything?"

"No. Can _you?"_

"No," he replied. "That's why I asked _you."_

She laughed a bit. She supposed that, since Konoha was a ninja village, there wasn't a lot to do besides train anyway. But what did the civilians do for fun? _They _didn't train every day.

"Uh…"

"Hmm?"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah…I got nothing."

"Me too."

She laced her fingers behind her head and stared at the sky. "Maybe we should go bother people."

He gave her a weird look. "What? Who would we bother? And…_what?"_

"You don't have to make it sound like a bad thing," she muttered. "Besides; I don't see _you _coming up with any good ideas."

Obito shrugged. "What would you do if nobody was with you?"

She gave him an_are-you-kidding? _look and said, "Chakra control exercises; I need to learn to mask my chakra."

"Still having trouble, huh?"

Naruto scowled. "I'm getting _better."_

He raised his hands to his chest. "Hey, I wasn't trying to _insult _you or anything. I was _going _to suggest going to the brook – you know the one I'm talking about, the one in the forest. You can practice and I can keep you company."

Naruto kind of felt stupid. She dropped her hands to her sides, averted her eyes and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Then let's go."

Ooo.ooO

"Damn it, Obito. Your advice sucks," Naruto groaned, flopping down next to him and falling onto her back. She lay there, staring up at the sky through the trees.

"It's not _my _fault you're no good at it," he retorted. "Besides; you just have too _much _chakra. That's why Minato-sensei was okay with helping you design that seal."

It was an ingenious seal, really. He'd worked with her to modify the chakra-suppressing seal; now, she could use it to mask her chakra when she went undercover. She didn't really know how it _worked, _but she _did _know how to make it; if she was ever stranded, she could help herself. But it only worked as long as she didn't use chakra; that would force the seal and make it useless.

She didn't move as she replied, "But I'm _used _to that. I've got chakra control down…well, I still can't do stupid bunshin, or healing stuff, but who uses regular bunshin anyway? And I'd be a horrible medic. I'd want to be out there in front, making sure nobody has to _go _to a medic. Know what I mean?"

"Just because I understand your words, it doesn't mean I understand your logic," Obito replied, shifting into a cross-legged position. "And yeah…you're used to having more chakra than other people. But trying to mask it is like…trying to force a lid on a boiling basin of tar. Sure, you _can _do it eventually, but the lid will force the extra tar out, and so it wouldn't all be inside anyway."

Well…he _did _have a good point, but she was kind of disgruntled anyway. "That sucks. I really wanted to get this down."

Obito was quiet next to her for a while. When she finally looked up, he was watching her thoughtfully. She didn't know whether to seriously freaked out or not, so she decided to ask him what he was doing.

"What are you doing?"

He blinked, and averted his eyes. "Uh…just thinking."

"About what?"

"About you," he replied. After a moment in which Naruto suddenly felt _extremely_ self-conscious, he said, "I actually have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Well…it's about seals, actually. Sensei has been teaching you, right?"

"Yeah. We both thought it was a good idea, since I might get into a situation where I need them. You know…for chakra masking, and for…holding back that other chakra."

He was watching her again, frowning slightly, but he didn't seem upset; he seemed thoughtful. She felt even more embarrassed for no reason at all.

"So you're saying you would have even _more _chakra if you didn't have that leftover red chakra sealed away?"

"Well, yeah. But I'm never, _ever _messing with that new seal. First, I'm not good enough. Second, I don't _like _that chakra. The seal acts like a…um, like a sieve. Or at least, I think that's what he calls it. Anyway, it lets the lightest chakra go through, and it holds back the chakra that hasn't been broken down yet. Rin says she thinks it's like the digestive system, which I don't know a_ whole _lot about, but apparently, the chakra gets broken down and then the excess can be filtered through."

"And…the seal helps with it?"

"Yeah. In fact, I haven't had any problems since the new seal was added. I guess it's because he basically created the original seal; well, he combined a whole bunch of parts and tied them to the basic…um…I forgot what it's called, but it summons the Shinigami and…yeah. You can probably tell seals aren't really my thing, but I know enough to check on my second seal and make chakra-masking seals."

"What would happen if you used a seal to block some of your chakra altogether?"

She laughed, even though the answer wasn't that funny. She met his eyes and answered, "I'd die."

He looked completely shocked, and kind of horrified. She didn't really blame him; it wasn't a nice thought. "Why?"

"Well…remember what you said earlier, about putting a lid on boiling tar?"

He nodded.

"Well, think of it this way. If the lid was a seal, and it was designed to block off chakra – or in the other case, keep the tar in the pot –, then it would be a problem. You know what tar does when it gets cold, don't you?"

"Yeah…it coagulates."

"That's what the inactive chakra would do. If it doesn't circulate, it just sits there and 'hardens.' Basically, it would screw up my body, and I'd start shutting down. I like being alive, and I like my body how it is, thanks."

"Yeah…me too," he replied absently.

For no apparent reason, she felt a blush creep onto her face and she scowled to cover it up. "What was _that _for?"

"I like you being alive too," he clarified, looking as embarrassed as she felt.

"Yeah, well…that's the end of _that. _Sorry, but I don't really feel like going into all that medical crap, since I don't really get it. So instead, I think you should tell me _your _version of what's been going on around here for the past three months. Rin and Kushina-neechan have both told me _their _sides of the story…" She trailed off as she remembered the almost merciless teasing about her pretty much nonexistent crush on her current company. She hadn't _actually _gotten a lot of details about the _important _stuff.

"Well…it's actually been pretty boring without you," he said, rubbing the back of his head. He hadn't ever grown out of the habit. "You're always here, being totally obnoxious. It was quiet and kind of stiff. Oh, yeah, and you missed my birthday."

Naruto widened her eyes and then scowled in embarrassment. She _had _remembered on the day, but she'd completely forgotten about it when she'd gotten home. "Uh...sorry?"

"You should be. I had to spend the day pretending to know and like stuffy clan members. Sometimes I wonder if activating my bloodline was worth the aggravation. Now, they pay way too much attention to me, and it's not even because I _did _anything. They're just…I dunno. They think in black and white, and for now, I guess I'm on the white side."

She rolled her eyes and grinned. "Never satisfied, are you? You should just be glad you_ have _family who can _teach _you. Sasuke didn't have any."

She noticed the slight darkening of his eyes, before he sighed and said, "Speaking of your Sasuke…I have something to tell you."

"What is it," she asked, feeling confused and a bit anxious.

"My aunt is pregnant. And…she's going to name her baby Sasuke." He looked away quickly.

Her eyes widened in shock. "I…that's…"

"It's good, right? You'll be able to…see him again."

She didn't really like his tone; it almost sounded defeated, or something. It wasn't a good state for him. "Yeah, it is good. You'll be able to help me, you know."

There was a short pause, before he met her eyes. "I know this is stupid, but…um…if you ever got the chance, would you…go back? To where you were before?"

"No," she replied without a moment's hesitation. "Why do you ask?"

He looked surprised, and…relieved? No…that wasn't it. "I just…well, I just wanted to know. It seems like you miss them – miss _him – _a lot. I guess what I'm trying to ask is…we'll always be friends, right?"

"Um…_yeah," _she replied, slightly bewildered. "Why are you asking stupid questions?"

"Never mind. It's not important," he said. But he was looking away again.

"Whatever, Obito. Even if I had no friends here, I wouldn't take the chance if it came up. I have a chance to make things better for them; if it means I'm not with them, so be it. At least they can have good lives…and I _do _have friends here. You're my best friend; Rin's like a sister; and Kakashi…uh…well, Kakashi's like the little brother who refuses to like you in public because it isn't cool to like your big sister. It's way different, but…it's kind of the same." She narrowed her eyes. "What's with you?"

"I just…you know…I wanted to make sure. That you know I'm…uh, we're all okay with helping you and stuff. Because we're your friends, like you said."

"Okay," she answered, eyeing him warily. He was definitely avoiding her eyes now, and he seemed to be extremely embarrassed for some reason she couldn't figure out. Despite the strangeness of the situation, it still made him look adorable.

She blinked. It _was_ true, but that had come out of nowhere.

"Hey…" He met her eyes again, looking serious. "You're gonna be gone for five months, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks for _reminding me," _she muttered, sitting up next to him.

"Promise me you won't die during that time," he said.

She blinked. "What?"

"Just do it."

"Okay, okay. I_ promise. _Want to tell me _why?"_

"Because I…" He hesitated for a moment. Finally, he said, "Because you're my friend, and it would really suck if you died. I'd be really sad."

"Enough with the sap; I think I'm drowning," she replied laughingly. Then, in a more serious tone, she added, "But yeah. I promise."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Rin knew that eventually, all these double shifts were going to catch up to her, and her patients would be left hanging. There were so many cases of chakra-exhaustion lately; most of those cases came with broken bones and huge wounds or burns, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. There was an unknown enemy roaming the borders of Fire Country, and at the moment, nobody was able to report.

In other words, something was going to happen soon, and it did not bode well for Konoha.

She didn't want to abandon her patients, but she _needed _a break, if she was to be at her best; she'd requested a thirty-six hour leave of absence, in which she could recuperate. The only reason she'd even been able to _go _to the hot springs over the weekend was because there were people there she needed to check on.

But her superior, Riku-senpai, hadn't gotten back to her yet. It was at times like these when she wished she had Naruto's stamina, but that _would_ come with the inability to focus her chakra correctly.

She sighed as she washed her hands (again) and checked her clipboard. Her heart sank into her shoes when she read the report, and she forced herself to be levelheaded and professional. Patient in room 18, gash across the stomach. Severe burns from right shoulder to right wrist. Broken ribs and shattered left ulna. Shows signs of…chakra _draining?_

Looking at the rest of the list, Rin narrowed her eyes. Now, it wasn't just chakra-_exhaustion, _but chakra _draining. _That _would_account for recent cases, but _why _hadn't anyone picked up on it? Granted, she hadn't either…and that was exactly what was so frustrating. This was a _hospital, _and they couldn't afford to make mistakes like this.

Not if they wanted to save their patients.

"Hey, Kin, would you come here for a second," she asked, waving over a coworker. "I need a favor after you wash up."

"Sure, senpai. What do you need?"

Kin, a short redhead with sharp brown eyes, was all smiles and sunshine; it was always a breath of fresh air. These days, working in the hospital was very distressing, and Kin was always able to lift the mood – a bit like Naruto.

Kin was also very clever, and a great medic; she was a very valuable resource, and Rin was glad to have her on the team.

"Walk with me; we need to talk. Which team was in charge of emergency eval Friday and Saturday?"

Kin frowned thoughtfully, falling into step beside Rin. "Hoshika-san and Hisoka-san. Why do you ask?"

"Because on Friday and Saturday, the causes for the recurring chakra-exhaustion cases were reportedly inconclusive; but yesterday, three more patients came in, and the medics noted that the chakra had been _drained. _I didn't catch it; nobody _else _caught it; but now that I see the stats, I've noticed that something's off. These patients here," she continued, pointing to the newest column, "have _nearly_ identical numbers to these here."

She rested her finger on the older list. "However, there is one difference: on Friday and Saturday, there are no stability stats. It would be perfectly sensible if the patients weren't _stable _yet, but they _are._Either the whole hospital has overlooked this – which I _doubt – _or someone is trying to cover something up."

Rin stopped in front of the next room she was supposed to check and concluded quietly, "I don't want to accuse anyone of anything, but I can't have my patients at risk, whether this is the result of carelessness or something else. I know you have your own duties, but I'd really appreciate it if you would run down and report this to Riku-senpai. Tell her I'm willing to forget about the leave of absence if it means we can figure this out."

Kin frowned worriedly. "I will deliver the message, senpai, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to exhaust yourself."

"Kin," she warned. "These are our patients. It is our responsibility, as medics, to make sure they are treated correctly. I refuse to stand by if there is something wrong."

Kin sighed. "As a fellow medic, I agree with your logic. As your junior, I do as you ask. As a friend…" She shrugged and turned away. "As a friend, I request you rethink this. Nevertheless, I will deliver your message."

Rin watched the junior medic move down the hall and kneaded her forehead. Kin was smart; she knew what she was talking about. It was something Rin didn't even _want _to do; she would've liked nothing more than to take a day to do absolutely nothing. But in a situation like this, her responsibilities came before her own desires.

Besides; it must've been _really _bad if they'd called her in for _this _one. She was especially talented with cases like these, and…

Well, they'd only call her in to work on her own _friend _if it was especially serious.

She took a deep breath, set her jaw, and walked into room 18, forcing herself to breathe as she looked down at the unconscious form of Hatake Kakashi.

Ooo.ooO

"Rin," Riku-senpai said, putting a firm hand on her shoulder. "I got your message. Thank you for telling me about this; everything has been hectic, and I'm very glad you were able to catch what the rest of us have not."

Rin nodded, biting her tongue.

"However, I will not allow you to go back on your request. After careful observation, I have decided to give you a half-break; you will not be working emergency for a few days. Instead, I want you to find a team you can trust, and I want you to supervise them as they staff the emergency wing. Your duties in that respect will be twofold; firstly, you will be monitoring not only the run of stats, but also the actions of your medics. Secondly…I am putting Hoshika and Hisoka on your team. I want you to keep an eye on them; don't tell anyone what you are doing."

Rin nodded; she could live with that. "I understand. Is there anything else you need from me?"

There was a short pause. "Actually, yes. This is unorthodox, and I wouldn't ask…except you are the only one who can manage this. Your other duty is to _only _attend to the patient in room 18, until he wakes up. You must get information from him; there have been several patients who have awoken today, and none of them have been willing to say anything. I know that you are particularly close to your old teammates, and I _need _to understand what's going on. You are to report your findings to me, and to Hokage-sama."

She didn't want to do this; she _really _didn't want to. She knew that it was most likely asking for trouble. But she owed it to her superior…and to her teammate, really…to find out what was going on.

"I understand."

Ooo.ooO

It was _finally _time for a break. Rin sat on a chair in the atrium and rolled her shoulders, wondering if Naruto and Obito would come to say hello.

She didn't have to wait long.

She _saw _them before she heard them, which meant that they were as worried as she was. Naruto had a worried frown on her face, which didn't look good at all. Rin liked her smile better.

"Hey," she said, running a finger through her blonde spikes. "Is he…"

"He's still unconscious," Rin informed, keeping her tone neutral. They both knew her well enough to know that it was only charade.

"Can…can we see him?"

Rin looked between Naruto, who was biting her lip, and Obito, who was watching Naruto with a frown, and shook her head. "I wish I could let you in, but we're running some tests still. We need more time. Can you come back tomorrow?"

"I can't," Naruto replied, eyes downcast. "I leave tomorrow morning for another long-term mission."

"But you just got back," Rin protested. "You're not supposed to do that."

Obito nodded. "That's what _I _said, too, but she's going anyway."

"I know how it's supposed to _be, _guys…but it's a special favor for sensei. He trusts me, and this is a delicate situation I'm already aware of. I'm going back to where I was before."

She sighed. "At least you have contacts and allies, right?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna miss you all, though."

Rin would miss her too.

"But we brought you some food, Rin-chan," Obito put in, noticing the girls' moods. "We made it for you." He held out a wrapped bentou box and rubbed the back of his head with a small smile.

"Thanks," she said sincerely. "It's too bad about that mission tomorrow, Naruto…I really wish I could spend some time with you before you leave, but I'm pulling a double shift today. I'll try to see you off tomorrow morning, though."

Naruto nodded and smiled at Rin, but the absence of light in her eyes belied her worry. "When Kakashi wakes up…uh…tell him hi for me. And then tell him to train like crazy, because when I get back, I'm gonna beat him up for getting hurt like that."

Naruto had never been particularly logical (or practical), but she cared, and that was more than enough to make up for her habitually flawed reasoning. "Of course."

"Has sensei come in to see him," she asked next.

Rin stretched her legs in front of her and shook her head. "No. But he _is _the Hokage, and there's something going on behind our backs. Even if it wasn't Kakashi-kun, he'd still want to come and see what was going on."

There was silence for a moment, before Naruto asked, "Are you _sure _we can't see him?"

"We'll be really quiet," Obito added.

"And I really just want to make sure he's okay."

"And numbers don't really tell us anything."

"_Please?"_

She was hit with both Naruto's and Obito's pleading looks…but she was mostly immune to them, by now.

"I'm sorry," she said, and she really _was. _"I can't let you in."

Naruto turned a stern eye on Obito, who suddenly looked very wary. Rin smiled despite the heavy situation.

"You'd better visit him as much as you can," Naruto ordered, poking him in the chest. "And you _have _to give him plenty of crap about getting hurt once he's all better. Tell him it's from me, since I can't be here. Understand?"

He nodded, looking torn between amusement and fright.

It was pretty much hilarious, but Rin didn't laugh.

"Good." Naruto turned to Rin with the same look. "And _you," _she continued, "had better make sure he gets healed, because I can't pound his face in if he's weak already. I don't kick people when they're down."

Rin _did _laugh at this. "Okay, Naruto. I promise."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"You _what,"_ Kushina asked with narrowed eyes. Minato sighed and put the report he'd been reading to the side.

"I _had _to, Kushina. She's the only one I _know _I can trust with this…or rather, she's the only person I can trust who would be _good _at this. I can't send a team…if I could, I would've sent the four of them. As it is, they're down to a three-man team at the moment, and I can't send anyone who doesn't _need _to be there."

"Then send the three of them! At least there would be some _backup!"_

"I'm already sending two," he replied. "Listen…I hate it as much as you do. If there was any other way, I'd do it. It's a really delicate situation, and Naruto _knows _what's going on. Chinatsu is going with her already, so she has an accomplice. This is the best I could come up with."

Kushina sighed. "I _know…_I just don't _want _it to be like this. I just…she's family. More than family. I just have this urge to protect her…and I have a _really, _really bad feeling. Especially with what's happening at the hospital…I just have a gut feeling something is going to happen."

"I know…I feel the same way. But we have to make do with what we have, and…Naruto is strong. She can take care of herself."

"I know."

Kushina looked defeated, and Minato really wanted to comfort her…to pull Naruto off the mission, or at least send a larger team. She _was _family. This was the only thing he _didn't _like about being Hokage…tearing families and friends apart, knowing there was a chance they wouldn't come back.

"Now…there's something else I need to speak with you about," he said quietly. "It's important."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"They're on a mission," Obito said, leaning over to whisper in her ear. She suddenly got a chill, though there was no wind. She figured it was the fire-smell again.

"Who?"

"Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza. They'll be gone for another week."

"Oh...that sucks," she muttered. Naruto had wanted to say hello, at least. She also wanted Obito to stop doing that...thing, where he was quiet. And take a shower, because that smell was getting to her head.

"Want me to give them a message?"

"Tell them I said hello, sorry I missed them, and that I'll be back soon so we can go for yakiniku and celebrate Inoichi's birthday properly."

Obito nodded. "Will do. I've got to get home; they want me for something or other, so I have to be home before sundown. I'll be there tomorrow morning."

Naruto watched him walk away, rubbing at her arms.

Ooo.ooO

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned to face her friend Inuzuka Tsume, who had cornered her near the market. She smiled. "Hey."

"Glad to see you back."

Naruto shrugged. "I'm glad to be back. But I'm leaving again tomorrow, and I won't be back for another five months."

Tsume wrinkled her nose and growled, an unconscious gesture used to show her annoyance. "You're not supposed to take back-to-back missions like that."

"I _know," _she said. "Everyone's been saying that. But it's a favor, and I agree that I'm the best person for this job."

"Oh…one of _those_ jobs," Tsume sighed. "I get it."

"I'm glad you're not gonna jump down my throat about it."

"Nah…I'll leave that to Hatsuka. She wanted me to bring you to see her cute baby."

Naruto felt both happy and sad all at once. She swallowed. "Sure…I'd love to see her."

"Well…come on then."

Ooo.ooO

"What do you _mean,_ you're leaving tomorrow," Hatsuka-neechan demanded. "You're not supposed to take back-to-back missions like that!"

Naruto winced and shot Tsume, who was snickering, a very dirty look. "I know. It's a favor."

She wondered how many times she'd say that before tomorrow morning.

"I have half a mind to march down there and throttle Hokage-sama," the woman muttered, though her statement was made slightly less threatening by the fact that she wasn't allowed to get out of bed yet.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Naruto said playfully. "They'd have to find a new Hokage, and what if they picked someone like Uchiha Fugaku?"

Hatsuka-neechan narrowed her eyes. "Naruto, you're not being very nice."

"Yeah, well, he's not nice either," she replied, shrugging. "Anyway…I want to see Sakura-chan."

Hatsuka-neechan shifted the blankets and the baby's bald head came into view. She was sleeping peacefully, for the moment.

"She's such a sweet thing," the new mother sighed with a soft smile. "She's so regular, too. Like clockwork. She'll be a sharp one, for sure."

Naruto nodded. "I'm sure she will."

Hatsuka-neechan glanced up at Naruto. "Don't think you're off the hook. You're going to hurt yourself one of these days, and nobody wants to see you hurt. Understand?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Obito didn't know_ what _he was talking about. She was _nothing _like Hatsuka-neechan. Hatsuka-neechan was a _scary woman._

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"Naruto-san, my friend," Gai called to the blonde girl in the orange clothing. She was an inspiration to everyone, but next to Hokage-sama and her old teammates – who were more like family (and soon-to-be significant other; everyone saw _that _coming) – he knew her best. They were alike in many more ways than one.

"Oh…Gai. Hello," she replied hesitantly.

He wasn't stupid; he knew she avoided him on purpose. But he _also _knew it wasn't because she disliked him. He wasn't sure _why _she didn't want to be around him…but it was okay.

"I hear you are leaving tomorrow on another mission," he continued. He beckoned her over, and she sat down next to him on the bench in the pergola.

"Yeah. I'll be gone for five months. Everyone's kind of mad at me, but it's a favor."

"They should not be mad at you for doing your duty to Konoha," he assured. "However, I am sure they're just worried for you. I, however, am glad to see that your youthful nature continues to shine through."

She gave him a real, genuine smile. "Thanks, Gai. Really. I'm glad you understand."

He knew her well, despite their infrequent interactions, and he knew that she'd needed come comfort…even from him.

"It's no problem, Naruto-san."

"Gai…" She bit her lip, and then chuckled. "Have you ever thought about wearing something else?"

He couldn't help it. He laughed.


	4. Unsaid

Okay…sorry about the delay, guys. There's really no excuse for my slacking, but I'll give you all an excuse anyway so I can pretend I don't feel guilty for letting you down.

Ahem.

I was distracted by playing Kingdom Hearts for the umpteenth time (twice in a row, because I'm cool like that), and I'm pretty much sucked into the Kingdom Hearts fandom right now. _And _we've had really freaky weather…hot during the day, below freezing at night, and I _hate _freezing. Wtf? I had a lot of work to do for my boss. Plus, I kind of lost motivation for this story. But NEVER FEAR! After chapter 395, how could I _not _get back inspiration? Naruto is love. First… "Suck him dry, Shino!" And second… "Yo, Aloe Vera!"

…Yeah. I repeat: Naruto is love. And so is Tobi…what with his whole "Whoa, didn't see that coming. NOT!"

However, I really didn't have time to write more of this, because when I wasn't busy with work and running stupid errands, I was either hanging out with Karin in her apartment and trying to get her to come out, because she's not supposed to be a hermit, or reading fan fiction because I'm a dork like that.

Anyway. As I was saying, sorry for the delay and the rather short chapter. Don't worry, I'll write more soon!

* * *

_**"Oh,**_ hey," Naruto said, surprised that anyone had found her. She'd gone to the top of the Hokage Mountain to watch the sunrise before she left for her next mission, and she'd gone alone. She hadn't expected anyone to come up.

"Hey," was the despondent reply.

Naruto glanced to the side. "You okay?"

"Yeah…I'm just sad. I don't want you to leave. We barely spend time with each other any more. I'm worried about you."

Naruto laughed quietly. "Yeah…I'm gonna miss you too, Kushina-neechan. I…um, I'm not sure why, but I have a bad feeling about this mission. Promise me something, okay?"

Kushina-neechan frowned. "Depends on what it is."

"Heh. Just promise me you'll stop sensei from overworking himself. Drag him away from the office a lot more, and tell him it's from me."

"Oh, I plan to."

Naruto smiled. "I knew you would. But what I mean is, tell him it's from me from time to time, so I can bug him when I'm not here."

"I'll do that," her companion laughed, punching her on the shoulder a bit. After a pause, she continued, "You two have gotten pretty close."

Naruto nodded and looked out at Konoha. The sun hadn't quite risen yet, and the dim light gave the village a very peaceful look. She imagined that if one could see echoes, they would look a lot like the village at this point. It didn't really make sense, but…that was what she thought.

"I…yeah. I guess it's just that…uh…well, I mean…you know. Family, and…"

She'd never really felt comfortable acknowledging Minato-sensei as 'Father;' not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't know if _he _wanted her to, and since he _was _technically her father, she wanted his approval more than anything. It was kind of stupid, really, but emotions made you stupid and Naruto had never been known for being particularly logical in the first place.

"You should tell him before you leave," Kushina-neechan said quietly. "In case something happens…you're so similar to each other, in this case. You're both stubborn, and you both care too much about each other's approval."

"Huh?"

"Don't be stupid. What if something happens while you're gone? Minato cares for you, but he probably wouldn't say anything unless you said it first. He…doesn't really know how to talk to you."

"Nothing will happen," Naruto said firmly. Nothing…nothing _could _happen. It _couldn't! _The thought made her feel sick, and she wasn't sure she could handle herself if something happened to Konoha while she was gone. "Nothing will happen. _Nothing."_

"We're a ninja village, Naruto, and we're only a couple of years out of war. I don't want anything to happen, either, but…people are unpredictable. The slightest thing can change a person's plans…I just think it's a good idea to tell people how you feel."

Turning to the side to look at Kushina-neechan, Naruto sighed. "I guess…it's hard for me, because if I say it…then something _might _happen. Like a curse, only backwards."

"But if something _did _happen…would you be okay with the person not ever knowing?"

No, she wouldn't. _Especially _not Minato-sensei…her father…or her…mother? It was really weird to _think_ of them as 'parents,' even if it _felt_ that way. They'd treated her as a subordinate, a daughter, an adult, and an equal at different times. She wasn't…sure what she was to them. But her companion was right; she was a kunoichi. She lived in a shinobi village. Disaster could strike at any time, and she wouldn't be able to handle dying without being able to tell them.

"I…" Naruto looked away for a moment, before she breathed in and continued, "Okay then. Since we're being candid, I should say that I…for a while now, you…I haven't exactly thought of you as a sister. I know it's stupid, maybe, but you're closer than that, like the mother I always wanted, except you actually are, but you're not, and…ugh. I don't even know. Just…I wish you were older, so it could be like you were my mom, because you would've had me at like eight years old, which is impossible, right? And…I don't like that you're gonna have a baby, because I was the baby, and I'm scared that if or when the fox attacks, the baby might be early, and I'd rather…uh…I'd rather be the one, because even though I'll have to die, I can make Obito and Rin and Kakashi promise to protect Sasuke and Itachi and Sakura-chan and Shikamaru and everyone else, and I love all you guys, and I don't want to see _anyone _die, and if I have to just stand by while someone innocent gets hurt or killed, I think I'll go crazy, and I couldn't handle it, and wow, I didn't mean to say all that but it's still true."

She ducked her head and looked away. She really hadn't meant to spill all of that, but it had all just come rushing out, and she was embarrassed to have said all that to _Kushina-nee…_uh…the person she wanted to call 'mother' but didn't know if she could or should.

She felt her companion's arms around her, and she leaned in without realizing it. "You're stupid. Even though I'm only twenty-three, I still feel like your mother. You don't have to call me that, but…it's how I feel, and it's actually true, in a weird way. You don't have to be worried about the baby, either."

"I…"

"We're thinking of a way. We have plenty of warning now, thanks to you."

Naruto laughed a bit; she was unsure of the reason why but gave into the need to laugh anyway. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"We still don't know yet, but I think it's a girl. I want a girl. If it's a girl, we're going to name her Azami. If it's a boy, we're going to name him Kiosho. And I'm going to raise my baby to be just like you."

"Minato-sensei says he would want his daughter to be just like Rin," she pointed out.

"He's just saying that. He likes your personality; he just likes to tease you."

Naruto leaned into her…mother…to watch the rest of the sunrise. "Um…do you think, maybe…I could, uh…maybe call…"

Why was this so hard? It wasn't like she was going to get attacked, or anything. She was already being hugged.

"Yeah."

"Thanks…Mother."

It felt good to say it.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

The village gates seemed bigger than before. Naruto _really _didn't want to leave; she had a strange feeling. But she'd accepted the mission, and she owed it to Konoha (and to herself) to follow through; even if she _hadn't _promised anything, it was still for the good of everyone. This was to prevent catastrophe, especially since something was going on in the hospital.

Obito, Minato-sensei, and her…mother…were there, to see her off. Chinatsu wasn't there yet.

"Hey, Naruto," Obito began, but Naruto cut him off as Rin came into view.

"Rin! Hey! You're here! You came!"

"I told you I'd try," Rin replied, returning Naruto's wave. She closed the distance between then and wrapped Naruto in a tight hug. "Be safe, okay? Keep an eye out for anything strange, and…keep an eye on Chinatsu-san, will you? She's not used to missions like these. She usually hides herself. It's hard for her to interact with civilians."

Naruto returned the hug with a smile. Her smile grew wider as she realized that somewhere along the line, she'd finally grown taller than Rin; Rin had always been a little taller than her, even if she still wore smaller clothing. "Of course I'll stay safe! I'm Uzumaki Naruto; I'll pull through anything as long as I still have promises to keep. And Chinatsu doesn't have to worry. We're both strong, and I'll show her the ropes."

She let go of Rin and messed up her hair, just to be annoying. "Don't worry about me. I'm not gonna let Chinatsu get hurt."

"That's good," Rin said, and ducked away from Naruto's ruffling hand.

Naruto turned toward Obito, who looked annoyed and a bit nervous, for some strange reason. What was there to be annoyed about…or nervous about? "You were saying something earlier. Sorry I cut you off, but I saw Rin, so…" Naruto shrugged. "What were you going to say?"

He looked away. "I…uh…good luck, and…stuff. You'd better come back, or I'll have to hurt you."

She reached up and messed up his hair, too, just to annoy him. "Aww, I knew you cared," she cooed mockingly.

He batted her hand away and shot her a discouraging look. "Forget what I just said. I have to hurt you _anyway,_ for being annoying."

Naruto grinned. She really hated when he talked like he had before; it made her wonder just how much faith he actually had in her. She'd had plenty of practice being underestimated and looked down on, but she didn't _like _it. Plus, she didn't want him to worry. She didn't want _anyone _to worry.

"Good luck," she taunted. "You'll have to train hard while I'm gone, so you can actually touch me next time."

Okay, so he won their spars as often as she did, or at least he had before she started taking so many missions outside the village. They had different skills, and they pretty much evened the other out. It was still _lots_ of fun to razz him, since he still took things so personally sometimes. She supposed that was probably annoying, but she…didn't really care.

"Well, make sure you don't get out of shape or anything while you're gone," he shot back. "You're gonna be mingling, right? How much time do you have to train, and how much can you train in civilian clothes, like _dresses?"_

Naruto clenched a fist, raised it, and then lowered it. "Meh, you're not worth it. Just watch your back, Obito."

"Guys, stop bickering," Rin ordered. "We're all family here."

Naruto shot a look at the two adults standing aside from the three teenagers, and blanched. They were just _looking _at each other, looking pretty cozy and gross. Minato-sensei whispered something too low for Naruto hear. They were flirting without flirting, and really, they needed to get a room or something.

"They're just…standing there, in plain sight," she said sourly. "That's crazy."

Rin shrugged. "Insanity is relative."

"No," Naruto responded, grinning. She pointed to the two, who were not exchanging whispers. "Relatives are insane."

"I have to agree with that," Obito whispered, poking his head between Rin's and Naruto's so they could hear him. "Mine are totally bonkers."

"We already knew that," Naruto answered dryly. She pushed on Obito's face, suddenly feeling a bit fidgety and claustrophobic. "Get out of here."

Rin snorted in a rather unladylike fashion. Naruto had to grin at that; four years ago, Rin would never have done that, or at least so loudly.

"Naruto," Minato-sensei said quietly, beckoning her over. "I need to talk to you for a moment."

Naruto nodded and made her way toward him, pushing Obito one more time as she passed him. He spluttered something, but she just waved him away. "What did you need, sensei?"

He took her aside and looked at her for a moment. "I want you to take extra precautions," he said quietly. "In terms of capability, I'm not sure about Chinatsu, and I didn't want to send you alone with her…but I had no choice. Chinatsu is a relatively new chuunin; she's incredibly good at what she does, but she is still lacking in experience. Watch out for her."

Naruto nodded firmly. "Don't worry."

She hesitated for a moment, before she said, "I…had a conversation, earlier today…"

Just then, a girl came into view, hitching a bag up higher on her shoulders. Her black hair was swept up into a tight ponytail, giving her a severe look she probably wouldn't have otherwise. She wore a simple form-fitting shirt and the shorts-skirt combination commonly seen on kunoichi in Konoha. She looked a little fragile, but Naruto could see the outlines of powerful muscles on her legs and figured her slight body must just be caused by genetics and not lack of training.

She stopped in front of the group and nodded respectfully, since she couldn't bow without getting hit on the head with her bag, which looked pretty heavy.

"Kudo Chinatsu, zero-seven-hundred hours, reporting for Wave Country espionage mission, Hokage-sama."

Guh…very formal. Naruto would have to work around that. "Hey there, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, your new teammate," she greeted cheerfully.

Chinatsu shot her an annoyed look. "I'm aware of that. Everyone knows _you."_

Naruto grinned. Really? She hadn't known about that. "…Really? Cool. Well, I bet we'll be great friends by the time this thing is over."

"Highly unlikely," Chinatsu replied disdainfully. "I make it a point to stay professional. At any rate, I hope you are ready."

"Course I am. Just give me a minute, yeah?"

She didn't wait for a response, before she turned back to Minato-sensei, who looked torn between laughing and 'staying professional.' She took a breath. "I…"

She shook her head and sighed. "Take care, okay? I…I'll miss you."

He ruffled her hair. "You'll be back soon. Konoha will be quiet without you."

Naruto grinned. "Like you said; I'll be back soon. And then you'll have people begging you to send me on another mission."

"I…I'll miss you too. Take care."

"No problem, boss." She gave him a cheeky salute and muttered, "I'd better get back to Bricklet over there."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're incorrigible. Go on."

Naruto walked back to the group and hugged Rin, before she picked up her bag. "Well, I'm off. Don't get into too much trouble, guys…or at least wait till I get back, okay?"

She turned to Obito and flicked his forehead. "Take care, will you?"

He scowled and averted his eyes. "You'd better take care, too."

"Enough of this gross mushy stuff. I'm off," she replied, turning quickly and beckoning to Chinatsu. "C'mon, partner."

She didn't look back, so they wouldn't see her sadness at leaving again, before she really got a chance to see them all. Instead, she gestured for Chinatsu to follow her into the trees.

"Three rules," she said, as Chinatsu joined her.

Chinatsu gritted her teeth. "Yes, senpai?"

"First, don't call me that. Just call me Naruto. We're supposed to be friends, here, even if you're just pretending. Second, you have to endure the whole getting-to-know-you process, so we don't look suspicious in Wave. Third…try to have fun. Even if this is a mission, we have to act natural, and…well, it might do you some good to learn what fun is. You kinda have a stick up your ass, and it's probably annoying to you. It's sure annoying to me."

"Is there anything else, senpai?"

"Call me Naruto!"

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Obito kind of looked like he needed a hug.

It was obvious to Rin that he'd been about to ask her something important, or say something important, and though she couldn't fault Naruto for being oblivious (Obito wasn't being all that obvious anyway), it was exasperating to see two of her closest friends dance rings about an emotional issue they both agreed on.

"You're kind of stupid," she observed quietly. "And she's not coming back for another five months."

"I _know," _he snapped. Then, he ducked his head and blushed. "Uh…sorry, Rin-chan. I know she's gonna be gone. But, uh…why are you calling me stupid? Did I do something I should know about?"

She sighed. "No, you didn't do _anything. _I need to get back to the hospital. Go…uh, go do something. Go and clean out Naruto's kitchen. I'm positive she didn't do it last night, since she always forgets before a big mission."

Obito opened his mouth to argue, but she shook her head sternly. "If you want to live, you'll do it. Food gets old, and then it gets gross, and next thing you know, you're cooking something which _looks _like noodles but is, in actuality, something old and disgusting. And probably alive."

He made a face. "I'll…go do that."

Rin made her way back to the hospital. She had to check on Kakashi-kun, and supervise her team. Konoha was busy again.

"Be safe, Naruto," she whispered to the wind, and she pretended Naruto would get the message. "This time, I'm honestly worried for you."

Too many things, left unsaid.


	5. Introductions

Okay, guys. Thanks for sticking with me this long. It totally makes me feel gooey inside when I see how much support I have. And because you guys are so awesome, I should put up a couple of warnings for the next few chapters of my story, as well as an explanation.

First, the explanation. In my stories, I refer to chakra as being blue in color. Why? Well, it's a stupid reason. I hate the color yellow, and yellow chakra reminds me of someone radiating sulfur dioxide and smog at the same time. That is gross. Don't ask me why it makes me think of that; it just does. So I talked with Karin when I decided to make an account on this site, and she said that she uses blue as the color too, because she doesn't like the color yellow either.

Ahem.

Warnings for the next few chapters:

The story is going to be pretty dark for a while. If you hate mindfuckery, I'm gonna have to ask you to either leave now, or not say anything. Also, if you hate girl/girl 'relationships,' don't tell me you're angry about it because this has been planned for a while and I'm totally giving you a warning now.

One last word of advice: be like a ninja. Read between the lines and stuff, underneath the underneath and all that jazz. If you aren't completely confused at the end of this chapter, I will have done a decent job, but I suspect I'm going to fail miserably. So…enjoy! (And I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I couldn't go on with the story in this chapter.)

* * *

_**The**_ woman seemed to have blue eyes, but Yoko couldn't be sure; they were not open, and her tongue was raw and bitten, showing signs of recent seizure. There were a few spots on her head which weren't covered in blood, and they showed that she had blonde hair. She was clad in a simple black shirt and black pants, coated in mud. She had three markings on each cheek.

Yoko frowned. The woman on the ground in front of her was well-built; obviously a kunoichi, who most likely specialized in taijutsu. She was covered in blood; her nose was bleeding, and her right ear was dripping as well. She looked as if she'd been injured repeatedly, but there were no signs of a struggle with another person, and no weapon-inflicted wounds. In fact…

The kunoichi didn't even have any apparent weapons, or a hitae-ite.

There was something _off _about the kunoichi's chakra…

Ah.

She released the woman from the genjutsu, only pausing for a moment to wonder how a kunoichi of this caliber (for it was obvious, looking at the kunoichi's legs, that she was a jounin) could get caught in a genjutsu; it had been high-level, but genjutsu was hard to fight with. Besides; with this woman's massive amount of chakra, she should've been able to break out, no problem.

Yoko sucked in a breath and picked the girl up, knowing that she was taking a big risk by moving her, but not knowing what else to do. The eyelashes fluttered, and Yoko tried to wake the girl. When the girl was semi-coherent, Yoko asked, "What's your name?"

She had tried for soothing, but she wasn't very good at it; not at her age, and especially not after _her _time as a 'kunoichi.' She knew she wasn't at all nice to look at.

The woman struggled to answer, but Yoko stayed patient. "Your name, child. I need you to tell me your name."

"Na…Nar…Nar…"

Nar? That…wasn't a name. "Are you-"

The kunoichi convulsed, and Yoko only narrowly avoided being vomited on; more importantly, she'd moved the kunoichi so that she didn't breathe in her own sick.

Yoko gritted her teeth and checked the woman's pulse and breathing. The breath was shallow and the pulse was quick, but she could most likely pull through. She just had to take her home and keep an eye on her.

"Nar…? Nara?"

Unsurprisingly, she received no response.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

It was with a bedroom voice that Chinatsu said, "Naruto…"

Naruto glanced behind her, smiling approvingly at her teammate. "Told'ja you'd get it sooner or later, China-chan."

"And _I _told _you _not to call me China-chan," Chinatsu shot back teasingly. "I'm not little, and my name's Chinatsu."

"Give me a break," Naruto said, slowing her strides to match Chinatsu's. "You're little. You're _tiny. _Don't worry; it just makes you more beautiful."

Chinatsu scowled, and tried not to show how pleased she was, but Naruto could see. She laughed. "Anyway, we just have to cross the water and we'll be at Wave. You still haven't told me which story you prefer."

Chinatsu smirked at Naruto, making her shiver a bit. Chinatsu had always been alluring when she was plotting something; usually, she was formal and a bit stiff. Of course, she'd never been terribly stiff with Naruto, unless they were in public; probably because of the public persona Chinatsu played so well.

"We're young lovers," she replied, tightening her brown ponytail. "We wanted to see new sights and hopefully find a place to settle down."

"Mm, I like it," Naruto agreed.

Chinatsu tugged on Naruto's wrist, stopping their movement. "I thought it was fitting," she purred.

Naruto's heart sped up. "O-oh?"

Chinatsu pulled her close and touched her lips to Naruto's lightly. "Definitely," she breathed, before bring their lips together and forcing Naruto's lips apart with her tongue.

Naruto didn't mind that. Instead, she decided not to wonder what exactly she'd done to deserve a girl like Chinatsu.

Ooo.ooO

Wave was very…bucolic. The chocolate box towns were scattered, but they all had that cheery, comfortable feel to them. Naruto almost pitied them; they were happy, and had no idea what was going to happen to them.

But she didn't _know _any of these people. They were just random village people, and she'd never had anything to do with them. Besides; they kind of had it coming to them. If they couldn't catch the oddities, then they deserved whatever came their way.

"I hate this," she muttered, pulling on the sleeve of her jacket. It felt…foreign, and it wasn't exactly easy on the eyes.

"What do you hate," Chinatsu asked. "I think Wave's rather pretty."

"No, I don't hate wave," Naruto clarified. "I hate…_this." _She waved a hand at her body. "I hate being a _girl. _I hate being _Naruto. _I'm ashamed to be walking _around_ like this."

"Oh, suck it up," Chinatsu replied with a roll of her eyes. "I still love you, even if you _are _a girl."

"But I-"

Chinatsu kissed her again. "Shut up, _Naru-chan."_

"I'm going to hurt you."

"Oh, I look forward to it."

Chinatsu _always _won the flirting game, but Naruto found that she didn't mind very much at all.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Rin heard a soft groan from the bed and looked up from her paperwork quickly, noting the shifting of the sheets.

She stood and rushed to the bedside and checked over her patient, letting her breath out in a _whoosh._

Kakashi-kun was awake.

"Are you…all right, Kakashi-kun?"

His eyes opened, and he groaned again, but Rin could see that his eyes were clear, and all she could feel at that moment was _relief._

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

The surroundings were foreign when the blonde opened her eyes. She was on a futon in the room, which was almost completely dark. The only light was provided by the candles in the room next to hers. There were no windows.

She tensed and shot out of bed, heading for the door, but soon doubled over and vomited on the floor. A woman with salt-and-pepper hair and knife-like brown eyes entered the room quickly and sighed.

"I'm pretty sure you have a concussion or something," she said quietly, holding the blonde's shoulders. "I was hoping you'd wake soon, but I didn't expect you to panic. I'm sorry. Can you tell me your name?"

The blonde frowned. What…

She tried to leap away. She couldn't remember her name! Who was she…?

The woman caught her arms and held her fast. "Calm down. I'm here to help you. My name's Mochizuki Yoko. What's yours?"

"I don't know," the blonde whispered. "What is my name?"

Yoko smiled comfortingly at her; or at least, she _thought _it was supposed to be comforting. "When I met you, I only got 'Nar' as your name. Do you recognize the name 'Nara,' perhaps?"

Nara…

"I…don't know," she replied. "But…I want a name…"

"Then I shall call you Nara. You may call me Yoko. I need to ask you a few questions, Nara. Will you answer them?"

The blonde, now called Nara, nodded, still confused, but she knew that Yoko was not a threat, although she didn't know _how _she knew. It was hard to think anyway.

"All right. Do you remember where you came from?"

Nara shook her head slowly. It hurt.

"All right. Do you remember what you were doing before I found you?"

"Nara? My name?"

"Yes, that's your name, at least for now. What do you know about yourself, Nara?"

She frowned for a moment, trying to think.

"I…I'm hungry. And my head hurts. Right?"

Yoko laughed quietly. "I think you need a bit more sleep. I need to ask a few more questions, and then we can eat. All right?"

"Okay," Nara replied.

"Come with me. We need to get you into the light. It will hurt your eyes, but I need to see you properly."

Nara stood wordlessly and took Yoko's hand, putting a hand to her stomach again, but holding back the sick which threatened to come out again.

"Don't move too quickly, or you'll throw up again. Just let me help you, all right?"

Nara let Yoko help her, trying to force away the fear she felt. She…couldn't remember anything. Or maybe she could, but it was too hard to think of things she could try to remember.

"You might want to squint until you get used to the light," Yoko warned. "It's daytime now."

Nara's nose wrinkled as they passed the place she'd thrown up.

"Don't worry," Yoko said. "I'll clean it up in a few minutes. For now, I need to make sure you're going to be all right. Now, prepare yourself for the light."

Nara obediently squinted her eyes, but her head throbbed anyway. She fought down a wave of nausea.

"Sit here," Yoko said, helping Nara to sit down on a soft cushion against the wall. "I'll be back shortly."

Nara closed her eyes all the way and rested her head on her hand, digging her fingertips into the corners of her eyes. For some reason, it lessened the pain, and Nara was going to take what she could get.

"I need you to open your eyes, Nara. It will hurt, but I need to check your eyes and your reflexes. I'm not a medic, so I couldn't heal your injuries, but you heal…surprisingly quickly. However, I _do _know enough to know if you _need _a medic. Can you open your eyes for me?"

Nara opened her eyes, before closing them again and pushing her fists into her eyes. "It hurts…"

"I realize that, but this is for your safety. Please just open your eyes for a moment. You can close them when I'm finished."

She complied, trying to force away the pain without closing her eyes. Yoko shined a light into her eyes. "Follow the light with your eyes, all right?"

Nara did…or at least, she tried to. It was difficult, and the light made her head _pound._

"Hmm…" Yoko looked her over and frowned. "I think you may need a hospital."

At the word 'hospital,' Nara felt herself begin to cry. "No. Please," she said, wondering why she hated that word so much. "Please don't. Hospitals are bad."

Nara closed her eyes again and heard Yoko mutter, "What the…?" Louder, Yoko said, "I don't think I can treat you, Nara. You've got something worse than a concussion, and I'm no medic, like I said before."

Nara just closed her eyes tighter and trapped her tears with her fists, before she slipped away again.

Ooo.ooO

When Nara opened her eyes, she was lying on a bed in a bright, sterile room. She immediately closed them again and groaned. She heard something shift.

"Are you all right, Nara?"

It was Yoko's voice. She shook her head slowly. "N-no."

"You're at the hospital, Nara. I know you didn't want to come here, but it's a good thing I brought you here. You've got a pretty bad head injury; you've been out for a while. The doctors here sent for a medic from a local Konoha orbit group, and you're going to be just fine."

Nara wanted to ask Yoko what was going on, but she gave it up and fell asleep again.

Ooo.ooO

"The injuries were self-inflicted, Aisa-sensei. I took her to my home, because it was closest. I did not realize it was this serious; if I had, I would've called for help right away. She's obviously a kunoichi, but she doesn't remember her name or where she comes from or _anything. _She has no hitae-ite and no weapons; she could be _anyone."_

_That's Yoko's voice._

"You should have brought her to the hospital _immediately, _Yoko. Do you realize how bad this could've been?"

"She heals quickly; didn't _you _say that? Besides; I had no idea."

"She had a _seizure!"_

"And what was I supposed to do, then? Carry her eleven miles to the nearest hospital, and hope she didn't die in my arms because something was wrong with her wounds or she'd gotten an infection or something? Or maybe you thought I was stronger than I was when we were still teammates? What if I _dropped _her? I may not be a medic, but, as you _well _remember, I _was _a kunoichi. _Was. _I know how to take care of people who can't be moved, but I'm not strong. And I'm definitely not _stupid."_

"You're acting like it. Can't you just _grow up, _Yoko? We're not kids any more."

"Try to be professional; Nara is your patient and my charge, at the moment. We can toss insults later."

"You seem suspiciously attached to her. Hina was blonde, wasn't she?"

"Shut up," Yoko said after a moment of stillness. "That was _uncalled for. _Just tell me if you've found anything on her."

The medic didn't sound at all apologetic. "Like I said before, she's not from my group; there's a girl who fits this description who lives in Konoha, but she's currently in Wave on a mission. Do you think we should take her to Konoha?"

"I think we should let her decide for herself," Yoko replied. "Perhaps she ran away. We should wait for her to remember and-"

"Not everyone runs away, Yoko-san," the medic said sharply.

"Did you not hear what I've been saying? Those injuries were _self-inflicted, _and she had _no _personal belongings. If anyone should decide anything, it's _her. _I know that _I _left, but you have _no idea _why I did. Respect her, Aisa-_sensei. _Wait until she can remember."

Nara slowly opened her eyes, unsure of the reason they were arguing in whispers and not particularly wanting to hear any more. She didn't want to be fought over. "Yoko…?"

Immediately, Yoko was at her side. "Nara? Are you feeling all right today?"

Nara sat up and smiled. "Yes…can I leave?"

The female medic moved closer to her and frowned. "Why do you want to leave, Nara-san?"

"Because I hate it here. It's too white and smells gross, and it just feels unfriendly."

_And you're a bitch, _she didn't add.

Yoko snorted. "I can't agree more. Anyway, Aisa-sensei…what do you say? You told us that she could leave today if she passed your tests."

Aisa sighed and gestured to Nara. "Sit on the edge facing me, Nara-san. I need to run some scans."

Nara obeyed the order, and sat still while the medic tested her reflexes, her eyesight, and her balance. Nara recited the ninth multiplication table, affirmed that the little flag was orange (a color she found she liked a lot), and buttoned a long strip of fabric together with no trouble at all.

"Can you remember what happened before Yoko…san…found you," the medic asked.

"Uh…no."

The medic sighed. "I thought not. You injured your limbic system, which triggered a rather severe case of retrograde amnesia. You may regain your memories over time; it's not a certainty, however. I recommend going to Konoha, a ninja village; they may have information about your past.

I don't know if you remember, but we had to spend some time teaching you to do things again; you lost function for a while and forgot many important things. You've been in rehabilitation for a long while; I know you remember _that. _Do you have any questions?"

Of _course _Nara remembered. They'd had this conversation _yesterday. _She wasn't _stupid. _"No, I have no questions today."

"Then…I'm authorizing your discharge. I _highly _recommend going to Konoha, but it's your decision."

Nara glanced at Yoko. She seemed to have something against Konoha, and honestly, Nara felt indebted to her; she'd been there for her, even though she obviously didn't like being around people; and Yoko had _saved _her.

"I think I'll take Yoko up on her offer and stay with her."

Yoko nodded. "I'd be happy to have you."

Aisa sighed. "Then, I wish you the best of luck."

_No you don't._

"Thanks," she said aloud. She turned to face Yoko. "Should we leave?"

"Yes, _please."_

* * *

This is the _only _time I'm going to do this, but…I'm _really _hoping for reviews of this chapter. I feel…kind of gross about it, but that could just be because I don't think I portrayed the plot idea very well. I _love _the idea, but I'm not sure I like how it came out. So _please…_for this chapter, could you guys tell me what you thought?

By the way, this story is _not _NarutoxChinatsu. This will be cleared up later; probably in a couple of chapters. I know this chapter will really make people angry at me, but PLEASE! Just hang on. It will all be explained, eventually.


	6. Dance and Deception

Okay...I know this is not a very long chapter, and it still leaves lots of unanswered questions. I got a lot of questions about the nature of the 'relationship' between Naruto and Chinatsu last chapter, and all I have to say is...don't worry. This is NOT Naruto/Chinatsu, and I think you'll be surprised when I finally tell you exactly what's going on. Or at least...I hope you'll be surprised.

I've just finished this, and I'm really sick, so if this is whacked out, I'm sorry. Please tell me if I've made absolutely no sense, and I'll go back and rewrite it; however, to me, it seems great. It could be the fever talking, but I hope it's not.

Now...on with the show!

* * *

**_Nara_** had avoided asking Yoko about the medic at the hospital, but after two days, she noticed that Yoko was still upset and frustrated. Yoko had saved her when she could've left her to die, and Nara considered her a friend; she wanted to help in any way she could. So over lunch, she decided to offer a chance.

"Yoko…did you know that medic before?"

Yoko paused, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She moved her arm down again, and gazed at Nara for a long moment, before nodding. "Yes. We were friends when we were kids."

"Really? It…didn't really seem like you…got on very well."

At this, Yoko smiled wryly. "You think? We were in the same orbit group, and I left. She never forgave me…I don't really expect her to. I just handed in my hitae-ite and told them I was _finished."_

"Orbit group?" Nara had a vague feeling that she'd heard of something like that before.

"Yeah. The hidden villages are ninja villages, but there are some of us who, for one reason or another, can't or don't want to live in a village. We form orbit groups, and we're essentially nomads; we offer our services to villages who can't afford ninja from the big villages, or who can't send anyone to find help. We only have to give ten percent of our earnings to our sponsor village – you know, so that we can be legitimately affiliated with a village and get discounts on our weapons and stuff."

"That sounds pretty interesting," Nara replied honestly, finishing off the last of her rice. "Why…why did you leave, if you don't mind my asking?"

Yoko looked away for a moment. "…It was about a year after my first time leading a mission," she said, after a tense silence. "I didn't want it. I didn't think I was ready, and I didn't have much confidence in myself. But I accepted the mission, and I picked a team who I thought could compliment me and compliment each other.

It was supposed to be fairly simple; someone or something had been attacking a small village, and we were asked to guard the village and catch the attacker. We tried that…but it ended up being a mystery, because I asked my two team members to take over night watch, since I hadn't slept in a day and a half. When I woke up, I…was one of only two who were left. I almost didn't get out. That's where these scars came from," she added quietly, gesturing to her face and neck. "I have more under my clothes."

She sighed, and took another bite before continuing, "I was only spared because they didn't think to look underground. My team and I had been offered a place inside to sleep, but it was just a cellar which had been turned into an apartment. They – whoever they were – lit the house on fire, probably thinking that if someone was down there, the fire would take care of them. It did…I got badly burned and scarred, as you can see. I was about to get out of there, when…I heard someone crying. I went looking for the sound, and there was this little…little th-three year old girl…"

Yoko paused, blinking rapidly. Nara suddenly felt a surge of sympathy, though she didn't voice it. After a moment, Yoko cleared her throat. "She was a really cute little girl. I brought her back with me, when I had to report the mission as a failure. I don't know what I would've done if she hadn't attached herself to me, but she…I adopted her as my daughter, and for a year, we were a relatively happy family."

Yoko cleared her throat. "I left her with a friend of mine, Yuki, and I trusted her to keep her safe while I was on an overnight mission. But she slipped away from Yuki, and got caught up in the middle of a spar. She was only four years old…and she…died…and when I came back, I…realized that my reasons for _being _a ninja were weak, and I turned in my hitae-ite. I'd only become a kunoichi because my whole family was made of ninja, and I wanted to make them proud…you know, continue the tradition. But my heart wasn't in it, especially not after I lost Hina. She would…be about your age, if she'd have lived."

_Hina was blonde, wasn't she?_

"Oh, Yoko…"

"That's enough about me. What about you? What are you planning to do now?"

"I…"

Nara was silent for a moment. She knew that Yoko would support any decision she made…and she _wanted _to find out who she was. She _wanted _to be a kunoichi; especially after hearing Yoko's story. There were people who got hurt every day, because they couldn't defend themselves…and she didn't like that at all.

"I want to be a ninja," she said decisively, meeting Yoko's slightly startled stare. "I mean…I heard your story, and there could be so many people out there with stories like that…I really want to be able to stop stuff like that. I just…well…I don't want to leave _you, _either, so…uh…huh."

For a moment, Yoko stared at Nara, and then she nodded sharply. "I see. Then…I'll help you, until you want to leave…if you ever do."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"Did you hear? Jiraiya-sama will be coming into town in two months," Rin cried, grinning widely at her teammate. "I've never actually met him!"

"That was sensei's sensei, right," Obito asked, watching for Rin's confirming nod. "So, that means…he was Naruto's sensei, right?"

"Yeah, he was. She always speaks fondly about him, even though she pretends he annoyed her. I could tell she thought of him as family."

"She calls him 'ero-sennin.'"

"And you'd better _not, _or I'll have to disown you as a teammate."

"You'd let _Naruto _get away with-"

"No I wouldn't," she said, cutting him off. "I wasn't there before, so I never got to stop that habit, but I definitely will now. Besides; Naruto is Naruto. It's part of who she is to call people weird names like that."

"Rin-chan!"

Rin laughed and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, beckoning for Obito to follow her. He stood up from the stool at the ramen stand and laid some money down.

"Thanks, Teuchi-san," he called, and followed.

Rin led him to Kakashi-kun's apartment. "I thought it would be nice for Kakashi-kun to have some company today."

"You just want to question him again!"

"Well, that's a secondary motive, sure. But he already knows _that. _I could do that any time, but he needs company, too. I'm actually kind of angry about what's going on, you know. Okay, not 'kind of.' I'm just angry."

Kakashi-kun had been pulled off missions, after 'refusing' to say anything about the attacker. Rin suspected he really didn't _know _anything, but everyone who had been attacked and hadn't given any information had been pulled from their duties. It was a matter of village security, and while it was a good _idea, _Rin _knew _that Kakashi-kun was telling the truth. She was sure that the Hokage _also _knew he was telling the truth, but he couldn't make an exception in the blanket rule.

Rin knew that it wasn't good to be angry about stuff she couldn't control; and that this _was _for the good of the village, but Kakashi-kun…_needed _a purpose right now. And it had been taken away.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It sucks," Obito agreed.

"Oh, I _knew _you really did care about him!"

"He's my friend," he grumbled, scowling. "I'm not such a horrible person."

She laughed and poked him in the chest. "I know that. I'm just teasing. Anyway, we're here."

He nodded and followed her inside.

Ooo.ooO

Kakashi-kun shifted one leg up, setting an arm atop his knee, and gazed at them impassively. Rin bit her lip. "Look, Kakashi-kun, just hear me out. _I _know you're telling the truth. Obito knows. Sensei knows. If you say you don't remember, then we have to believe you. But the rule is for everybody…and…I had an idea, but it's up to you to decide whether you want to go along with it."

"What is it?"

"I was thinking that…we could come together for a mission. You, me, and Obito…it's been nearly a month and a half since you got out of the hospital, and I've just been registered for field medic. I…I've been planning this for a while, actually, and what I was hoping for…"

She took a breath. "I was hoping you'd agree to come with us, to check out that spot. We can just _watch _it…instead of actually _approaching, _like everyone else has done. I'm sure we could find out something. And they can't really say anything if you're working with us to _solve _the _mystery, _right? You can go on missions again, _and _we can help Konoha."

He thought quietly for a moment, while she held her breath. "…Okay."

"Excellent," she replied, grinning. "It'll be like the old days."

"No it won't," Obito muttered, poking at the floor with a finger and scowling.

"Huh? What are you talking about," Rin asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"It just _won't. _Cos…things are…we're…different."

"We are still people," Kakashi-kun pointed out dryly.

"But it's not _our _team," he protested darkly. "Cos…cos Naruto's not here. So it won't be the same."

Rin smiled exasperatedly at him, but he didn't notice. "Don't worry; I'm sure she won't be offended that we went on this mission without her. After all, she's on a mission without _us."_

"I _know _she won't be offended! I just…uh…never mind. I was just _saying. _It's not _exactly _the same. It doesn't matter though, right?"

She shook her head. "It's okay to miss her, you know."

"Rin-chan! I don't _miss _her," he answered hotly. "What's there to _miss,_ anyway? I was just _saying. _Let's hurry up and start that mission."

"We have to get to the Hokage tower, so we can ask for it, first. But I'm almost positive we'll get it approved. C'mon, Obito, Kakashi-kun."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Chinatsu had never liked Naruto; the girl was too _cheerful _and _helpful _and _optimistic. _It was unbecoming of a ninja to be so emotional about things. Sure, acting was all right…but Naruto never _acted _out her emotions, unless she was pretending to be cheerful. That rarely happened, though.

_This _Naruto…was better, but not by much. _This _Naruto wasn't really _meant _to be a woman, but what could they do? It was a perfect setup, a perfect ruse. _This _Naruto was actually useful. And she'd continue to be useful until her time was up. Getting rid of _this _Naruto would be easier than getting ride of the _other _one, and…that was saying something. A jounin should know better than to trust anyone, even a teammate.

Chinatsu looked around at the chocolate box village and sighed. They were all the same. Wave was so _prosperous, _so _bright. _It made her sick, really. Naruto was supposed to be in Water by now – it wouldn't do to have her miss the meeting with her contact; conformity was key.

"Hello, Chinatsu-neesan," a childish voice called, and she turned to see Tsunami waving. "Are you having a good day?"

_No, _Chinatsu thought viciously. _It was almost tolerable, until you had to ruin it._

Out loud, she replied, "It's a nice day. Did your mother send you out?"

The girl twisted the end of a dark pigtail in her hand and shook her head, dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "No way! Mother doesn't know I'm out. I heard Father talking about you…he says you're a ninja in disguise. Is that true? I always wanted to meet a ninja. Did you know they can walk on water and make the skies dance?"

Chinatsu blinked. "I've heard that rumor before, actually. I know they can walk on water; I've seen it; but I don't know if they can really make the skies dance. I've met ninja before, but none of them were very nice. They were all boring." She made a face. "There was one ninja who even told me I was toffee-nosed. Can you believe that?"

Tsunami shook her head, eyes wide. "You mean someone actually said that about Chinatsu-neesan? I hate ninja now! I don't care if they _can _make the skies dance!"

Chinatsu smiled wryly. "Don't be so quick to hate them. What if they end up saving your life one day?"

"If they could say such a thing about Chinatsu-neesan, they can't come near me! You're the best girl ever!"

Chinatsu had noticed the way the little girl's eyes lit up every time they spoke, but she hadn't let it get to her. It wasn't important. So it was very awkward for her when she reached out a hand and ruffled Tsunami's hair. "I'm not the best girl ever," she responded, faking honesty. "However, I'm very glad you think so."

Never let it be said that Chinatsu isn't a brilliant actress.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"C'mon, Nara! You're not done yet," Yoko cried, clapping her hands irritably. For such a strong kunoichi, Nara was surprisingly choppy in her movements; Yoko assumed she had been powerful enough to not need grace, and she was definitely flexible, but Nara would not always be able to rely on powerful punches and massive ninjutsu.

"This is…hard," Nara gasped in reply, but she didn't stop. "What _is _this, anyway?"

"This is fluidity training, nitwit! How can you possibly expect to win a fight if you're handicapped and you can't dodge?"

Currently, Nara was running standard 'dance' conditioning; it'd been required for the kunoichi in her orbit group, and it was required for kunoichi in most hidden villages. How Nara had been able to _graduate _as a kunoichi with such horrible fluidity was beyond Yoko's imagining.

"I'll just block! It's easier, anyway!"

"Turn out your toes, Nara! And for goodness' sake, unclench your fists! Poise and grace, child, poise and grace!"

Nara shot her a withering glare before arching her back and stretching her left arm above her head. Yoko rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Your body should be a graceful curve, not a broken line! How on _earth _you graduated, I'll never know!"

"I don't know either," Nara replied hotly. "Besides, I think my body would remember something like _this. _It remembers taijutsu. It _likes _taijutsu. This is totally foreign. And stupid. Don't forget stupid. What's the point of this, anyway?"

Yoko sighed and walked to the blonde kunoichi, touching her shoulder. "Look," she said quietly, watching as Nara straightened her body. "I'm going to show you something, all right? It belonged to my family, but they're all dead, except for me; I'd like you to use it."

"What is it? A weapon," Nara asked curiously.

"I guess you could say that," Yoko chuckled. "Just stand over there and watch, all right?"

Nara nodded and made her way to the corner, where Yoko had pointed. She hadn't done this in a while, but she remembered it perfectly. It was the Mochizuki family's secret, and…well. Nara wasn't part of the family, but Yoko wanted to show her anyway.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Nara watched, transfixed, as Yoko _danced. _She'd never seen anything so beautiful…or at least, she didn't think she had. She still couldn't remember anything that wasn't ingrained in her body, but this was simply _breathtaking._

It was obviously a routine of sorts; but Nara could see how useful it would be in a fight. Nara was sure she'd be able to _hit _Yoko, eventually, but…she wondered if even the _Sharingan _would pick up all the _possibilities._

Wait…

She blinked. Where had that come from? She had no idea what that was. When she thought about the word, she got a vague image of orange-tinted goggles, which…didn't really make any sense.

Yoko was faster. Her feet skipped lightly over the polished wooden floor, and Nara saw that Yoko's ankles and calves were muscular and defined. Spins and kicks and flying leaps were all executed with astounding precision, and Yoko made it look so _easy, _so _natural. _It was like watching water personified.

Yoko may have been forty years old, and she may have been slightly out of shape, but the image was still _wonderful._

Nara wanted to learn it.

Yoko slid into a finishing stance, which was the same as the first; right leg bent beneath her, left leg straight in front of her, touching at the knees. Her right foot was turned outward, and her left foot was only resting softly on the floor…it was a perfect stance for both attacking and defending. Her arms were held up at her shoulders, right elbow bent backward and left elbow nearly straight. Her hands were loose, and Nara could easily picture her hands gripping weapons.

She had the urge to clap…so she did.

"Yoko…that was _beautiful!"_

Yoko smiled and leaned forward, placing her hands on her knees and breathing deeply. "Whew…that was a lot harder than I remember it being," she admitted. "I remember my teammates teasing me about it. They said that fraternizing with the enemy was _not allowed, _and that I was pushing it by dancing with them."

"Well, I can see why…it _looks _like a dance," Nara responded. "I can picture you flying through the air with fans or something like that."

Yoko gave her a calculating look. "Oh, you can?"

"Yes. I can also picture it with longish knives, but fans just seem to fit better."

"It's funny you should say that. It's a family style; everyone in my family was required to learn the style, but the fans were saved for those who had a wind affinity. I wonder…"

Yoko trailed off then, and Nara watched her rub her chin in thought. She thought the image might've reminded her of something or someone, but she couldn't quite place it. She fidgeted.

"Why do you live here," she blurted, after the silence was too hard to handle.

Yoko started. "Uh…what?"

"I mean…why do you live _here, _alone,instead of…in a village? Don't you get lonely?"

Yoko closed her eyes. "That's a story for another day."

Nara looked down. "Sorry for bringing it up."

She felt a finger underneath her chin, and she looked up into Yoko's eyes. "It's all right, Nara. Young girls are supposed to be curious and ask questions. Now…how do you feel about learning the Mochizuki Dance, hmm?"

Nara didn't even have to think. "I'd love to!"

Yoko smirked. "Then get back to the wall and finish your exercises. I won't teach you a _thing _until you can prove you have what it takes!"

Nara smiled back passionately. "Of course I'll do it!"

"You'd better mean that," Yoko answered. "I'll hold you to that."

"I won't take back my words," Nara scoffed. Then, her eyes lit up. "That will be my nindo!"

Yoko stared at her for a moment, a sad smile playing on her lips, before she nodded. "Fourth stance, then. And this time, remember that you are a string, not a piece of wood!"

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Obito looked around him in distaste. The leaves barely hid his form from anyone, but it wasn't really supposed to; if they were close enough to see, they were close enough to sense. Kakashi and Rin-chan were poised on their respective branches, and Obito was half-seated on his. He hated this.

He wasn't sure _what _was making him feel so awful, but this whole _place _left a bad taste in his mouth. It made him want to leave right away; it wasn't _scary, _but it was…_evil. _That was the only way he could describe it.

He shivered.

Nobody was _there; _he'd be able to sense them. If Naruto was here, she'd probably sniff the air and make a face; it even _smelled _awful, and her nose was better than his was. Thinking about Naruto made him sad, for some reason, so he pushed her out of his thoughts for the time being.

"Kakashi," he whispered, poking his teammate in the shoulder.

Kakashi shot him an irritated glance. _"What?"_

"What do you smell?"

For a moment, Kakashi looked almost surprised…or at least, Obito _thought _he was surprised. That mask really made it hard to read his expressions, but his eyebrows were up. Then, he nodded once. "It smells like chakra and blood."

Obito frowned. "That's what I thought you'd say. I wonder why we haven't been attacked yet."

"Perhaps the source of the attacks has moved on," Rin-chan suggested. "The chakra-draining cases have stopped completely."

Kakashi looked like he was pondering something important. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his fingers were very tense against the branch. Finally, he muttered, "I've smelled this chakra before."

Rin-chan nodded. "This _is _the place you were attacked, so…"

"No, I've smelled it somewhere else. I just can't place it."

"If _Naruto _were here, I bet _she _could tell you," Obito tossed out. He really missed her; she would've made all this bearable, even if she just sat next to him. He figured it was probably the attachment they had formed while in captivity together, but he always felt better – _safer – _when she was around.

Not that he'd ever tell _her _that…or anyone else, for that matter.

"You're…Obito…"

He looked at Kakashi sharply. "What?"

"That's where I've smelled this before."

"Where?"

Kakashi scowled. "Naruto."

"You mean…this is _Naruto's _chakra? That's stupid. How could _she _be the one attacking people?"

"No, it's not _her, _I don't think. This is more concentrated and…horrible. It stinks. But I've smelled it on Naruto before…it's similar, but it's not the same."

Obito exchanged a look with Rin-chan, who looked just as worried as he did.

"We need to go," she said. "Right _now."_

"What? Why," Kakashi asked quietly.

"Because we need to report this to Hokage-sama," she replied. "Don't argue with me; this is an order. We're leaving, _now."_

* * *

Do you all hate me yet? I hope you do. That means I've done this properly. Also, the time frame...will be made clear, probably in the next chapter. I think next chapter will feature a fair amount of Minato and Kushina, and more on Chinatsu, and Nara and Yoko. Whoever guesses what my inspiration was for the Mochizuki Dance is, wins! What do you win? Uh...nothing, really, but you still win. Isn't that just great?


	7. The Great Hero

Well, there's only one person who guessed at my inspiration for the Mochizuki Dance, and…well, sorry, but it wasn't supposed to be anything like the Hyuuga style. It's _ballet, _guys. I saw this _beautiful _solo where a girl danced on pointe with fans. It was _amazing, _and I could totally see it converted to a fighting style. (So no, Naruto's not going to be wearing pointe shoes at any time in this series. I just used the dance as inspiration.) I actually copied the first and last pose directly from the dance.

Just to let you know…this chapter will be explaining a _lot _of things, but probably not all of them. I'm almost pleased that no one has gotten the plot twist right so far, but I'm also kind of nervous. It either means I'm being totally original or I'm being totally cliché, and people are just skipping over the obvious. We're starting out with Chinatsu in this chapter. The conversation at the end of this chapter…is taken from the manga. I've changed some things, obviously, but some of it is word-for-word. Just so you know.

Oh…in case it isn't completely clear, it's now been nearly four months since Naruto and Chinatsu left Konoha. Just keep that in mind when you read this, so you don't think there hasn't been enough time for these things to develop.

* * *

Chinatsu looked down at the blonde, a condescending sneer on her face. Naruto's eyes were alternating colors, like they couldn't decide if they wanted to be blue or not. Naruto was dying.

"Why…why are you doing this?"

"Why _wouldn't _I? You're not useful to me any more. You _must've _known this was coming."

"I…thought you loved me. I _trusted _you." The voice was weak and broken.

"You thought wrong. The _idea _was for you to trust me."

The blood from the multiple wounds was slowing, but that didn't matter. "You're _going _to die," she informed. "You've been poisoned. You can't stop it now; you have about a minute left. Is there anything else you wanted to say?"

"I love you…but I wish I didn't," was the fading reply.

With Chinatsu's derisive snort, the illusion fell away. Chinatsu had _never _loved this person; but it didn't matter now.

"I lied, by the way. You're going to die sooner than that."

She watched the man on the bed, smiling slightly as the life faded completely.

"_Finally," _she muttered, before picking the hitae-ite up off of the nightstand. It was time to go back to Konoha; her work was finished here.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

It didn't make _sense…_according to everything _anyone _knew about demons, the fox in particular, they were huge masses of chakra. They had _consciousnesses, _sure, but they were primarily driven by instinct. Human life meant next to nothing, and even if it _had, _the demons were _destructive. _The area was barely broken up, other than the obvious signs of shinobi struggle.

Minato frowned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He'd never before been so _frustrated – _he knew what _would _work, if the fox decided to materialize, but he didn't exactly want to abandon everyone.

His desk was covered in equations and abstract possibilities – and so far, nothing looked helpful. He knew he needed to get to sleep _sometime; _morning would come soon, and with morning came missions assignments, last-minute reports, and questions for the Hokage.

He _almost _wished he hadn't sent Naruto on that mission; she had more knowledge of this situation than anyone else alive. But he was glad, more than anything, because he knew she'd do something stupid if she knew.

Naruto would be back in a little more than a month, and he wanted to have this problem solved _before _she returned, because he knew she'd go off and try to solve it herself if he didn't have a plan. It wouldn't matter if he _told _her he had a plan, anyway; she'd know. Perhaps it was because she knew how to act so well (espionage _was _her specialty, after all), but no one could lie to her very well. Not if she was expecting it.

He looked up suddenly; someone was coming closer, and quickly. He had a kunai ready before the door burst open.

"Hokage-sama," someone cried. It was Hyuuga Chokichi; he'd been on village patrol tonight.

He didn't put his kunai back into the pouch, but he _did _adjust his posture to look less threatening. It wouldn't do to _frighten _him.

"Yes?"

"Yamada Rin and Uchiha Obito were on gate duty tonight, and they've detained someone. They sent us to you."

He frowned and left his position behind the desk. "Do you know who this person is?"

"No, but I think it's a Konoha ninja. I'm pretty sure I saw the hitae-ite."

Minato nodded and left his office, sealing it from intruders. He quickly left the building and headed toward the gates.

He was surprised and anxious when he saw Kudo Chinatsu, red-faced and looking exhausted.

"I'm sorry," she blurted when she saw him. "I…I tried to stop it…I wanted to save…it should've been me!"

His eyes narrowed. "What, exactly, are you trying to tell me? I don't understand. Calm down and explain."

He saw Obito and Rin exchange nervous looks, and Chinatsu – who had noticed as well – bit her lip. She took a deep breath and said, shakily, "We…were in our bedroom, asleep, and…some villagers…they were looking for me. Someone had apparently spread a rumor about me, and Naruto…she tried to stop them, but there were so _many _people and she was tired, and she _promised _she'd meet me at the boat, but she never _did. _I waited for _three days, _and then I went looking for her…she…"

"Kudo-san," he prompted sternly.

"She didn't make it," she whispered. "She's dead."

"Are you sure," he asked, feeling strangely heavy. "Did you see her body?"

"What…what was left of it."

Rin's eyes were closed, and Obito looked completely and utterly lost. Minato schooled his features into a hard mask. "I see."

"She's…not dead," Obito whispered. "She can't be. She _promised _she wouldn't die."

"It should've been me," Chinatsu said, tears in her eyes. "It's just…she was so _strong, _and she really _cared…_she promised she would meet me at the boat. She _promised! _And I believed her…I should have stayed. She never would've hurt the villagers, and…I didn't realize that until it was too late."

Chinatsu handed Minato a hitae-ite. "This was hers."

Rin clung to Obito's arm, and Obito blinked furiously. Minato accepted the offering. "I see," he said again.

"I'm sorry," Chinatsu whispered.

"I…I am too," he replied. He was sorry he hadn't listened to Kushina; sorry he had trusted this job to someone who would abandon Naruto. Sorry he couldn't find it in him to understand Chinatsu's position. "I am too."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Nara awoke with a start, clutching her chest. She was sweating, and her breath came in heaving gasps.

She shuddered, and tried to get a hold on her breathing. "Ugh."

The dream had been _horrible; _it had featured a young boy with dark hair, and they'd been fighting furiously. He'd changed into a _monstrous _thing, and had tried to kill her _three times. _The power she'd felt radiating off them both…was _awful. _It was chakra, but it felt evil and gross. That boy…had he really been her brother?

Nara crawled out of her covers and folded the blankets before rolling up her futon and stashing it in the cupboard. It was routine, by now; she didn't know how long she'd been living with Yoko, but it was long enough to have adapted completely. Yoko didn't have a calendar, but they were in Fire Country still, so the weather rarely changed.

She liked it here.

A glance out the window told her it was nearly time to get up anyway; the sun was beginning to rise. She crept out of the 'practice room,' which doubled as her bedroom, and headed into the kitchen to start breakfast. Yoko always had good food, since she grew many vegetables and kept lots of storable foods in the house. They didn't eat meat, but that was okay.

Nara washed her hands, and then pulled out a bowl and poured water and rice into it. Yoko wandered in a few minutes later, rubbing at her eyes. She smiled at Nara when she noticed her rolling the rice between her hands.

"How did you sleep?"

Nara frowned. "I had a strange dream. In it, I was fighting a boy. He turned into some kind of monster, but I _knew, _in the dream, that he wasn't a monster. I…it sounds crazy, but I think he must've been my brother. It _felt _like he was my brother, anyway. I wish I knew his name."

Yoko paused in the middle of lighting the burner. "What did he look like?"

"He didn't look like me at all. He had dark hair and dark eyes, at first, but they changed colors twice. They scared me when I woke up, but they didn't scare me in my dream. In the dream, it was like I _expected _them to be yellow in the end."

"Yellow? I've never heard of a transformation to yellow before," Yoko murmured. "I've _definitely _never heard of a transformation into a monster, either."

"He wasn't a _monster," _Nara said vehemently. "He was a good guy, deep down!"

Yoko turned back to the burner and lit it, saying, "You seem very adamant about that. Perhaps you're starting to remember things."

Nara recognized _something _in Yoko's voice, but she couldn't place it. So she said, rather lamely, "Yeah…I guess. I hope that's not all I remember, though."

They finished making and eating breakfast in silence, and for some reason, Nara was bothered by it. She was about to ask about the strange tone Yoko had used, but Yoko spoke before she had a chance.

"I have something to speak with you about, Nara."

"What is it?"

"Help me clean up, and then we'll talk."

Nara nodded and picked up her breakfast things, downing the last of her miso before approaching the sink and rinsing her dishes. After they were finished, Yoko led her into the third room in the house – Yoko's bedroom. Yoko flicked on the light, and pointed to the middle of the room. "You can sit down. This is your house too."

Nara smiled and did as directed, waiting for Yoko to speak. Finally, Yoko sat next to her and took a breath. "You asked me, a while ago, why I live so far from everyone else," she said.

"Yeah…but you didn't want to talk about it."

Yoko nodded. "That's true. But I've been thinking about this for a while, and I've decided you need to know some things. So I'm going to tell you."

She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, waiting for Yoko to continue.

"My family was made entirely of ninja," she began quietly. "The Mochizuki family isn't well-known in any hidden village, but we were somewhat famous in the orbit groups, because we never lived in Konoha. It was my dream to grow up and make my parents proud; I was an only child, and even though I couldn't have children, I wanted to make my family famous someday, by becoming an excellent ninja.

I didn't have very much confidence in myself, though; I was never a fighter. I preferred to talk things out, and when I learned the Mochizuki Dance, I threw my all into it because I liked _dancing – _not because I wanted to learn how to fight.

My parents died when I was seventeen, and that was when things started to go downhill for me. I always blamed myself, I guess, because they died on a mission I had declined. I knew I wasn't ready for it, and our group director said she agreed with me…so she sent my parents instead. When I got the news, I kept thinking that they wouldn't have died if I'd gone on that mission."

Yoko turned her face away and drew in a breath. "After I lost Hina, I realized that I really wasn't cut out for kunoichi life at all. I didn't have a worthy dream, and I still hated fighting. I slowed my teams down. So…I left. You already know how _that _went. But I'd promised myself that I'd make my family famous one day, and I felt ashamed for giving up on that promise; so I isolated myself. After a while, it became natural, and even though I know it wasn't a dream I really wanted to go after, I don't want to live with people any more."

Nara studied Yoko, who looked distinctly uncomfortable, like she needed Nara to understand. Nara _did _understand, actually. She smiled comfortingly. "I think you did what you needed to do. It's not something I would've done, but I get that it was what you needed."

Yoko looked at her with a small smile on her face. "I'm glad you think that," she replied. "And…I have a request."

"What?"

"If you're willing, I…would like you to be part of my family. You don't have to be a Mochizuki, but I would be honored to have you in my family. For these past few months, you have been like the daughter I could never have."

Nara grinned, completely touched. "Of course I will! You've been very kind to me, and I'd love to be part of your family. Mochizuki Nara…it's a good name."

"That makes me happy," Yoko said. "I have something for you, then."

Yoko stood, and Nara followed. "What is it?"

"They're family things. I can't use them, but you can." She opened a cupboard and drew out a medium-sized box, setting it on the floor. She opened it and pulled out two closed fans, each about three-quarters shorter than the length of Nara's forearm. Nara's eyes widened.

"Wow…"

"You have to have a wind-based chakra type to properly use these, but there hasn't been a Mochizuki wind-user for many years. My great-grandfather was the last wind-user in our family. But your chakra-type is wind; another Mochizuki secret is a sense for chakra-type. It's useful in battle because someone with a certain elemental chakra-type is prone to using that element and we can plan accordingly. It's genetic, though, so I can't teach you…but I _can _teach you to use these."

"That's…wow…thank you! Um…is there anything I need to…do?"

"Well, you've nearly mastered the Mochizuki Dance forms; you learn very quickly. I'd say another month will take you to the end of your form training. But you should start learning to use these now, or you'll have a harder time when you incorporate weaponry."

"Yoko! That's…I mean…are you really serious about training me so early?"

Yoko pressed the fans into her hands. "I'm not going to live very much longer," she informed frankly. "I'm sick; I've _been _sick for years. I know I only have a few months left; I thought I had longer, but I can feel it – I've gotten worse. Unless a miracle happens, I'll die before this year is up. "I want to know that these techniques haven't died completely before I go."

Nara suddenly found herself blinking back tears. "But…"

"There's nothing either of us can do," Yoko chastised. "It's not a _bad _thing at all; I'm older than I look, and I'm tired. I told you I'd help you, Nara. My _only _request is that when it's time for you to leave, you use this at least once."

Nara looked down. "O-of course," she agreed quietly. "You're…really going to die?"

"Yes. Don't be sad; _I'm _not. Death is just a rest after one life, to catch our breath before we go onto the next one."

"I…I guess."

"Now then," Yoko said gently. "Let's get to the practice room, shall we?"

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"Jiraiya-sama's back," someone said behind her.

"I know," their companion replied. "It's amazing, isn't it? Jiraiya-sama, back in Konoha!"

Kushina raised her head, marking her place in the book she'd been reading. Jiraiya-sama's book;_ The Great Hero._

She stood and left the pergola, placing her hand on her stomach. She was starting to grow more; she didn't just look like she'd gained weight, now. She _definitely _looked pregnant.

She and Minato had an important question to ask the man; he hadn't been in Konoha for many years, but he was still important to them.

She entered Minato's office and smiled at both of them. "Welcome back, Jiraiya-sama," she greeted, and stood next to her husband.

"Kushina. You're looking very pregnant today."

She nodded. "Yeah..."

Jiraiya-sama sat on the windowsill, eyes on Minato and Kushina. "What's been happening with you two since I left?"

Minato sighed, looking sad and happy at the same time. Really, Kushina felt the same way. "Well, obviously, we married," he began. "And…my team all made jounin."

"I saw that Hatake Kakashi listed in the bingo book as the 'Lightning Warrior,'" the older man noted. "I haven't seen anything about your other cute kids though."

"Rin is a brilliant medic…she's hospital and field certified, you know. She's expressed the wish to learn from Tsunade-sama herself…but she knows why she won't come back."

Jiraiya-sama looked startled. "She _knows _why?"

"Yeah," Kushina said quietly. "But she's one of the few who do."

He was quiet for a moment, before he asked, "What about that other one? The Uchiha?"

"He's a jounin now – he's known around here for his reluctance to rely on his bloodline. Some people look down on that; but he knows that it may give you an advantage, but it's better to use it as a surprise to your enemy. His teammates taught him that."

Jiraiya-sama chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day an Uchiha _didn't _place emphasis on their eyes. I have to say, I'm impressed. And what about _you _two? Already started on your family, I see," he added with a leer.

Kushina rolled her eyes. "You're shameful, Jiraiya-sama. We…are having a girl."

He frowned. "I'd have thought you would be excited. I thought women wanted daughters."

Both Minato and Kushina were silent for a moment, before Minato said, "We're both very happy about the baby, sensei. We couldn't be upset with the baby's gender if we tried. It's just…there was another member of my team. A girl. She…was part of our family. A daughter, I guess you could say, even though she wasn't that much younger than us-"

"You keep saying _was," _he interrupted.

"A week and a half ago, her teammate came back from their long-term mission and told us that she had died…it's hard to handle, especially since I can't quite believe she died the way Kudo-san says she did. I can't quite believe she's _dead, _either…we've been a bit sad since we were told. We're very happy about our daughter, though."

"That's horrible news," Jiraiya-sama said quietly. "Like family?"

"Yeah," Kushina said. "She always seemed so _invincible _to all of us…her teammates are very reluctant to believe she's _dead. _Obito, especially; they were close. Kakashi respected her, in his own strange way. She and Rin were like sisters…she made an impact on all of us. Speaking of her, we had something to speak with you about."

He raised an eyebrow, motioning for them to continue.

"We both really liked your latest book," Minato said. "It was great, really."

"It…didn't sell, though," Jiraiya-sama admitted. "Not at _all. _Unromantic drama isn't my forte, after all. It was the hardest book I've ever written."

"It seems familiar," Kushina said. "Like a real-life biography."

"Your character never gave up, and never broke his promises…it's a very admirable protagonist. Even at the end, he put his all into everything," Minato said. "We actually wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"We wanted to name our baby after your character," Kushina requested. "It would mean a lot to us…and not only us."

"What," Jiraiya-sama asked, obviously taken aback. "Even though it's a girl? I just came up with it randomly while I was eating ramen! Why would you want to do _that?"_

"Naruto was inspiring," Minato explained. "He was a great shinobi. And Naruto is a wonderful name for a girl…we knew a girl named Naruto."

"But if I've named your child, that kinda…are you sure you want that on your heads?"

"I can't think of a better person than you, Jiraiya-sama," Kushina affirmed.

"You're a great example of a true shinobi," Minato added. "You have remarkable skill and many people look up to you, despite the fact that you're not a genius."

"Hey…I don't know if I should be insulted or not!"

Kushina smiled. "It's not an insult, Jiraiya-sama."

There was silence for a moment, before Jiraiya-sama asked, "What was the name of your other student?"

Kushina looked at Minato, and he looked back at her. Before either of them could answer, Jiraiya-sama said, "I see. Then, in that case…I think it's a great idea."

* * *

So, there's chapter seven. Jeez, I'm just writing sad stuff everywhere! This isn't supposed to be a sad story! It's run away again, though. It doesn't like doing what it's told, you know. I guess it's just as well...I've got artist's block, and at least I can do this in my spare time so I won't go crazy! I hope this chapter cleared up more stuff; hopefully, you don't all hate me any more! That would suck.

Oh, for your information, I _will _be explaining the first scene in this story in the next chapter. Don't worry; it's not just going to be left alone.


	8. Kunoichi

OMG! My boss is amazing. So, last night, I stayed up all night. He called me this morning (conveniently random, I know) to ask if I was up to going downtown today, and I guess I sounded a little sick or something because he asked me if I was. I told him I'd just stayed up all night with my clay, and that I'd be glad to run downtown for him, and do you know what he said to me?! Well, obviously you don't, so I'm going to tell you.

"_**Oh! In that case, take today off. I know how it is to get so involved in something you forget the time, and I don't want you to make yourself sick. I can get Janessa to do it. If you want, I can get her to drop off some of Christy's tea."**_

…I love him. Seriously.

Anyway.

I wasn't going to update this chapter until I updated _Strangely Familiar, _and I really should work on _Keys of Destiny. _But I have to do this, because the voices in my head tell me to, and how could I disobey the Voices? I am but a lowly medium…and the Voices are the artists.

Lol. Anyway, here's the next chapter for you. This is a crucial chapter, folks, so I recommend reading it if you want to know what's going on!

(P.S. The girl Chinatsu was talking to, in Wave – Tsunami – is the same Tsunami who eventually grew up and had Inari. Her father is Tazuna. Try to remember that, 'kay?)

* * *

"Nara! Concentrate," Yoko barked. "In a fight, someone will inevitably startle you, and you must be prepared! This must be second-nature!"

Nara stretched her fingers, cracking her knuckles, before calling on her chakra once again. Yoko had been attempting to teach her to use chakra-strings on her fans; she said it was similar to the puppet technique, but much less complicated; the idea was to attach the fans to her chakra, so she could throw them and still have access to them. Controlling the fans was pointless, since it slowed momentum. It was hard, and a bit frustrating, but something in Nara told her to never give up.

She reached out, and connected with the fan at Yoko's feet. Jerking her hand back, she caught the fan – _finally_ – and breathed a sigh of relief. She'd done it!

"Nara, what was _that? _Did I teach you _nothing? _Where's the grace?"

…Or not. Yoko was a kind woman, and laid-back most of the time, but during training she turned into a completely new person. During training, she was very strict and demanding, and she refused to accept anything below her standards.

Nara knew _why, _of course; Yoko had told her she didn't want Nara to get hurt. She wanted Nara to be able to protect herself in any situation, and if that meant putting Nara through strict training, so be it. She knew that no matter what she said, Nara was going to continue as a kunoichi.

Yoko reached out with her chakra and pulled the fan away from Nara, and clucked her tongue. "You haven't even claimed your fans as your own!"

"…Huh?"

"Don't you remember what I told you about the puppet technique, Nara? A puppet user will saturate their weapons with their own chakra, so it becomes an extension of the user. It _is, _of course, possible for a master puppet user to override that 'bond,' but it's difficult. If you're connected to your weapon, no one can take it away from you using chakra!"

That…made a lot of sense. Nara frowned thoughtfully. "So…if it was _part _of me, it would be easier to stay connected?"

"Exactly."

"I should do that, then."

"Yes, you should."

She smiled. "So…how should I go about it?"

Yoko slapped her forehead. "My apprentice is an idiot!"

Ooo.ooO

Nara sat with a sturdy needle in her mouth and a spool of repair thread by her side, studying the sturdy gauntlets in front of her. They were made of thick material – akin to leather, but Yoko had said leather was bad for the skin. It was Nara's job to alter them to fit her own arms.

The design was pretty ingenious; Nara could attach the fans to her inner forearms like some people did with kunai, and they'd slide forward into her hands when she needed them. The sturdy material also circumvented any concerns about slit wrists.

She especially liked her fans because they weren't just ninjutsu mediums; they were also very sharp, when unfolded. If she threw them, she could potentially decapitate someone; it wasn't a nice thought at all, but if it came down to it, if she had to choose between killing an enemy and putting her friends in danger…there was no question. She knew that if Yoko were in danger, she wouldn't stop to think.

"Wish I had a measuring stick," she muttered. She guessed she'd never been very good at sewing things; the needle felt very foreign in her hands and she had nearly sewn her own finger to a gauntlet on her first attempt, after a rather violent jab. That had been an…interesting episode; Yoko had worried about the amount of blood, but the puncture wound had healed unnaturally quickly.

Yoko had guessed it had something to do with the seal Nara had on her stomach; it was something neither of them recognized (though in Nara's case, she was sure she wouldn't have recognized it even if she _had _seen it somewhere else before). Yoko had said there was foreign chakra behind that seal; they'd both written it off as an oddity and decided not to worry about it.

The needle pricked Nara's tongue, and she cursed. Pulling the needle out of her mouth, she glared at the strips of material.

"You'd better be working," Yoko called from the kitchen.

Nara sighed.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"She's not dead."

Rin-chan sighed and gave Obito a look he didn't quite recognize. It wasn't sympathy – he was glad about that – but it wasn't frustration, either. "Obito…"

"She's _not. _I know it."

"Then why would Kudo-sa-"

"I don't know. That's not important right now, anyway. But even though this is Naruto's hitae-ite, she _can't _be dead."

"Why?"

Obito gazed at Rin-chan for a moment, trying to decipher the strange sound of her voice. She'd been weird lately. Almost…hopeless. It wasn't Rin-chan at all, and he didn't like it. But enlightenment didn't come, so he quietly explained how he _knew _something was wrong.

"Chinatsu didn't bring back Naruto's necklace. She didn't even have it _on _her. Besides; she hasn't touched this thing in months." He traced the scratches on the metal part of Naruto's hitae-ite with the index finger of his left hand, smoothing the black material across his thigh with his right hand. He was seated on the edge of the Hokage Mountain – he and Rin-chan had made it a point to visit as much as possible, in memory, even if they couldn't make it _often._ The sun was nearly set, and despite the perfect weather, Obito didn't like the picture.

That didn't stop him from visiting anyway.

He'd asked to keep the item; usually, if a ninja's body was unable to be buried, they burned the material and buried the metal, in tribute. But he was _sure _Naruto wasn't dead…or at least, she hadn't gone out like Chinatsu had said.

"How do you know?"

"It's obvious. It doesn't feel like her any more – her chakra, I mean. She has so much chakra that it lingers on her things, since it always comes out unless she has one of sensei's seals on. Plus, it doesn't smell like her any more."

"…Smell?"

"Well, yeah. Naruto always smells like her special chakra and sugar, for some weird reason. And ramen is sometimes added."

Rin-chan gave him an odd look, and sighed. "I don't-"

"She's _alive! _I just…I _feel _it, Rin-chan. She _promised _she wouldn't die – Uzumaki Naruto always keeps her promises. It's just not _her. _She doesn't give up easily!"

Rin-chan was silent for a moment. Then, she gave him a very small smile and leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder. He settled his arm around her shoulders, and noted morosely in his head that for a long time, he would've done anything to be in this position. And now that he had it, he wished she were someone else.

"It's good to know some of us still have hope," she whispered. "I guess we both deal with heartbreak differently."

"What do you mean," he asked quietly. The sun had dipped, and the moment of twilight came and went before she replied.

"You aren't the only one who loved her. You just loved her better than I did. I guess your optimism proves that."

It took him a moment to process what she'd said. It was strange, to imagine Rin-chan and Naruto…like _that…_and honestly, for a moment, he was sad _for _Rin-chan. Naruto had only thought of her as a sister; she'd never known about Rin-chan's feelings.

He gave up on contradicting her statement, too – about love – it was pointless, and a bit insulting, really. He only regretted not saying it sooner, and as soon as he saw Naruto again he was going to say it to her face. He wished it wasn't so complicated; he sort of wished Rin-chan hadn't expressed her feelings for Naruto. It wasn't fair to her.

But he only said, _"Love._ Not _loved._ Naruto's too stubborn to die on us, Rin-chan."

"We're family," she replied, and Obito could hear the smile in her voice, even as her voice shook slightly. "Just call me Rin." As if she could tell what Obito had thought, she added, "Don't worry. I never told her because I knew you'd be better for her anyway."

"We're almost as messed up as Gai's team, aren't we?"

"Kakashi-kun requested Anbu status. Hokage-sama keeps denying him."

"Good thing, too. We both know he'd suck at life if he became Anbu."

"He knows that, too…I think that's why he keeps requesting it. He looked up to Naruto."

"_Looks," _Obito reminded. "And don't let him hear you, Rin-chan. He's kind of a weird guy – I think that will make it worse."

"It's Rin."

"All right…Rin," he replied, the name feeling foreign. But she was right; they _were _family, now. And they _would _see Naruto again. He was _sure _of it.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"So you disposed of Uzumaki, then?"

Chinatsu leveled her companion with an annoyed glare. "What do you take me for, Hoshika? Do I really seem that stupid? Of _course _I did."

Hoshika narrowed her eyes, distrusting of her scheming 'friend.' They tolerated each other, for the sake of the mission, but there was definitely no lost love between them. "How, exactly, did you manage that? She's not easy to take down. And what happened to Ren?"

"If you remember correctly, Ren was an expert genjutsu-user. He put her in a potent genjutsu, which confuses the victim into thinking they are their own enemy. They start to attack themselves. We took her jacket and pants, and her hitae-ite. He performed henge, and I arrived in Wave with Naruto. After the wounds she inflicted on herself, she had no chance of survival – even with the strange quick healing ability she had. We were eleven miles from any village, and no one was nearby. She was nearly dead when we left."

"So you left her there, _alone? _What if she broke out of the genjutsu, huh? She's a _jounin. _I never thought _you'd _be so careless; you're usually meticulous."

Chinatsu waved her hand airily. "There was no need to stay and watch her die; Ren was getting sick. Besides; we needed to meet our contacts. It would've been suspicious, had we arrived late."

Hoshika sighed. Chinatsu was definitely good at what she did; it was what made her such an excellent candidate for this job. Unfortunately, she was also tricky amongst her comrades. "You never told me what happened to Ren."

"He's dead," she replied delicately. "Killed by his own foolishness. After all, it's stupid to be so blatant with one's emotions."

A warning. Hoshika snorted. "He loved you, Chinatsu. Just so you know. He never really got over you. Did you play into that?"

"Yes," the brunet replied, brushing some black hair out of Hoshika's light brown eyes and grinning up at her. "But you know I've only got eyes for _you."_

"You say that to everyone," Hoshika muttered, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the situation; not because she _didn't _find Chinatsu attractive, but because she _did. _She knew Chinatsu didn't really like her – that their kisses and 'intimacy' were nothing but farce – but that didn't stop her. She felt the same way about Chinatsu; disgusted. But she could appreciate the ethereal beauty Chinatsu seemed to be saturated in.

"But I _mean _it, in your case," Chinatsu replied, smiling seductively through her eyelashes.

"Whatever," Hoshika murmured, but accepted the subtle touch anyway. Hoshika didn't even _like_ girls. Chinatsu didn't like _anyone._ They were deep in the forest, but anyone could find them, once they stopped suppressing their chakra.

Chinatsu backed Hoshika into a tree, massaging her hips and biting down _hard _on her collarbone, and she didn't really care any more. Chinatsu may have been a pitiless bitch, but she _was _loyal to their master. Of that, Hoshika was certain.

Besides, Hoshika thought, a jolt running through her body, Chinatsu was _good _at what she did.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Yoko found lying on the roof, hands folded beneath her head. The stars were out, and the expression on her face was a peaceful one; she'd taken to loafing on the roof when she needed to think. Yoko lay down next to Nara and sighed.

"I have nothing left to teach you."

Nara started. "W-what?"

"I've taught you everything I know. I can die peacefully now."

Nara sat up quickly, glaring fiercely. "Don't talk about dying so freely! Are you just going to give up?"

"Yes," she replied serenely. "I'm old, Nara, and I'm not like you. I was never a great kunoichi, and I was never a great _person. _I caused a lot of unnecessary pain, and I didn't deal with grief properly. _You _taught me to fight for what's precious to me; and I did. I held on for longer than I thought was possible, so I could pass on my knowledge to you. Now I'm done…and I can finally, _finally _rest."

"But…"

"No buts," she chided. "You taught me how to live, and I'm grateful for that. Now, let me teach you how to die."

"I don't _want _to learn-"

"Nara."

Her tone was commanding; and it did little to convey what she could not say aloud. _Stay strong, _she wanted to say. _Believe in yourself. _But she didn't vocalize any of that. Instead, she said, "If I don't wake up tomorrow, there is some clothing in that chest in my room, bearing my clan symbol. I'd be honored if you would wear them, sometime. I know traditional kunoichi attire is uncomfortable for you, but…if you could just do it _once…_it would make me happy."

"Yoko…"

"Bury me under the tree by the stream, will you?"

Nara bit her lip and replied, quietly, "Of course. Are you…what is your sickness? I never really asked about it…"

"I'm diabetic. It runs in my family, so I was kind of expecting it. I found out when I was about eleven; I used to give myself shots every day, but then…well. I don't know why I lasted so long after I stopped, but I like to imagine it has to do with you. If I hadn't been alive, I wouldn't have found you and you would've died. I _know _you'll do big things with your life."

Her companion averted her eyes. "Is that…why we're vegetarian, then?"

Yoko chuckled. "I suppose. It started out that way, but now it's just habit. I want you to promise me something, okay?"

"A-anything."

"Find out who you are. Find this Obito person I've heard you muttering about in your sleep – yes, I've heard that, don't be shy. Whatever it is you decide to do with your life, throw your heart into it – or don't do it at all. Just…learn from my mistakes. I know you're a better person than I am."

For a long moment, there was silence. And then Nara asked quietly, "You're not planning to wake up tomorrow morning, are you?"

"Some things are better left unsaid," Yoko replied frankly. "However, since you asked…no. I _won't _be waking up tomorrow."

There was a short silence before Nara spoke again. "Naruto."

"Hmm?"

"My name. I think it's Naruto. I don't know why, but…I really do think I remember being called Naruto. I guess that's where I'll start."

Yoko reached over and squeezed Nara's – Naruto's – hand. "I'm glad."

"By the way…how long have I been here, with you?"

"I'm not quite sure. Time seems to run together, when you're my age, and I haven't bothered with calendars for many, many years. But, not including the time you spent in the hospital, I'd say four months or so."

Naruto squeezed back. "I'm glad I met you."

"I am, too."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

"He's going to summon the kyuubi no kitsune," Hisoka whispered. She leaned against the wall and wrung her hands.

Hoshika sighed and scowled at her twin. They looked alike, but were almost completely opposite in mannerism. "I _know _that. I've known that from the start. Where were you this whole time?"

"I didn't think he'd ever _get _anywhere with it! I mean…he's not…"

"What did you _agree _for, then? I would've thought-"

"Mom needs help, Hoshi. I needed to know she was being taken care of. And it doesn't matter where the money comes from; I'm giving everything to her. I refuse to sit around and watch her suffer. Why did _you _agree to the job?"

"I was bored," she replied honestly, shrugging. "I'm a licensed medic, but it's so _boring. _This job is much more interesting."

"So you'd rather see people we _know _and _care _about get _killed, _and maybe even watch the whole village fall? That's low, Hoshika, even for you."

"Low or not, I chose my path. You chose yours when you agreed to this. _I _always knew he'd do it, sooner or later; it _is _unfortunate he almost got caught, after those failed attempts by the border. We're lucky he knows how to seal memories."

"But…I don't _want _anybody else to get hurt! I just…I just wanted to save Mom."

"You should have let her die, Hisoka. That would've been a less painful death than the one she's destined for."

Hisoka's eyes widened and she shook. "I…I can't _believe _you," she whispered. "I thought you _loved _Mom. I…I don't even _know _you."

"And whose fault is that?"

"I hate you! I always looked up to you, because you were so brave and strong, but now I _hate_ you! I'm not doing this any more. I don't care what you say. I don't care what _anyone _says. I _quit."_

Hoshika started. "Wait…so you're _running away? _After all that about looking up to me, you're _running?"_

"If that's what you want to call it. This is bad, and I shouldn't have listened to you or anyone else. I'd rather _die _than let this happen."

"That…can be arranged," she murmured. Hisoka may have been annoying, may have been weak…but she was her _twin. _She didn't think she could _kill _her. She wasn't like Chinatsu.

"Whatever. I'm going to see Mom. Don't follow me; neither of us are going to be alive this time tomorrow. She doesn't deserve this, and I don't want it."

"So…you're going to kill Mom?" Hoshika frowned. "I thought you wanted to _save _her."

"I _am _saving her. Death by my hand is a much better alternative."

"But-"

"On October tenth, five days from now, everything will be in place and the kyuubi no kitsune will be set loose on Konoha. I will not be around, and neither will Mom. Go have your adventure without me. You can't possibly be _bored _when I'm not around to hold you back."

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

In death, Yoko looked peaceful. Naruto felt a stinging sensation behind her eyes, and for once, she didn't bother to force it away. Sometimes it was better to just let it out, when she was alone; Yoko had taught her that.

_A kunoichi isn't supposed to show emotion, Nara, but sometimes it's just better to let yourself cry. Maybe it makes you look weak…I don't know. But bottling things up like that will destroy you eventually. I should know._

She spent the better part of the day digging a suitable hole for Yoko's grave, and then she moved Yoko's body to the hole. The old woman hadn't said anything about attire, but Naruto knew she wouldn't have wanted to be dressed in something fancy, if she was just going to rest underground. Naruto didn't change Yoko out of her pajamas, but she _did _place a flower in her hand.

"Thank you, Yoko," she whispered, before covering the body completely.

Naruto turned on her heel and walked into the house, turning into Yoko's room. A note was set on top of the clothing in the chest:

_Do you remember when you first came back to my house, and I told you about the necklace you wore? I kept it safe for you, just like you asked. It's hidden in the little wooden box in the cupboard. I want you to have that box; I have no use for it now. You've been good to me, and I'm glad we met._

_Yoko_

She felt tears in her eyes again. Pulling off her pajamas, she took one of the folded black garments and pulled it on, noting the slight bagginess in the waist. There were strings she could pull to make it fit better, and she did so, fastening them to her sides. The tunic-like top felt natural, despite its resemblance to a (rather short) dress. The slits in the sides went up to her hips, and the bottom just barely touched her knees.

She pulled on a pair of stretchy black shorts, which assured mobility and modesty at the same time. Those fit much better. The clan symbol located on the back of the top, she knew, was a swirl which looked similar to a peach, but Naruto knew what it meant.

_The outside circle is meant to represent the full moon, you know. The story passed down through our family is that we learned the Mochizuki Dance from the spirit of the moon. I have no idea if it's actually true, but I like to imagine it is. The inside is meant to symbolize motion; that's the dance. I think it looks more like a peach, but it's the story that counts, right?_

Naruto took the traveling bag she had packed the night before and folded the rest of the clothing into it, before opening the cupboard and removing the box. There were only four items in it; the necklace, two hairpins, and a key. It was the key to the house; she knew that Yoko had meant to leave the house to her.

Naruto laughed, despite the sadness she felt, and tucked the hairpins into her long hair. She'd pulled it into a tight bun earlier that morning, and the pins nestled there, looking unassuming.

Anyone who attacked her could get a hairpin to the throat and be dead before they realized what was happening, unless they were also a ninja. It was a useful invention. Naruto tucked the now empty box into her traveling bag and cinched it closed.

Looking around the room, she took and memorized in the sight; she wouldn't be coming back. This was her home, sure, but it wouldn't be the same without Yoko. It was time for her to move on as well. She made her way into the practice room and picked up her bracers and fans, securing them tightly around her forearms.

Her shoes were by the door, and she pulled them on quickly before donning the black jacket folded next to them. It was long enough to cover the bracers; now, she just looked like she was wearing sturdy half-gloves.

It felt strange. She didn't remember much, but she didn't like the feeling the clothes gave her; she felt too feminine. She wondered if maybe she'd been in espionage, and had pretended to be a boy; it wasn't likely, but perhaps it was true. It _seemed _familiar, at any rate.

Locking the door behind her, she slipped the key onto the cord which held the stone, and then slipped it over her head. The necklace was beautiful, as always, but more than that...it would help her find out who she was. She was _sure _of it.

In addition to the necklace, she had a slight memory and three names to go on: red eyes, and Naruto, Obito, and Sasuke.

She _would _find herself. It was a _promise._

And Mochizuki Naruto wouldn't break promises.

* * *

Ewwwww! I described her new clothing. GROSS! I hate describing clothing, since really, in my opinion, it doesn't matter that much. But there are three things I'm trying to convey here: first, it's all black. It's a change from her usual orange. Second, she doesn't exactly like it. There's a reason she always wore her orange clothing: she liked it. Third, she's dedicated to honoring Yoko's memory. If she hadn't been, she wouldn't wear the clothes. I hope that makes it more bearable.


	9. Past and Future

Hello, all you lovely, fantastic readers! This is…the last chapter of "Effect and Affection." I know, I know. Hate on me, it's expected. It's a short story, and pretty tragic. It was filled with angst and stuff. But DON'T WORRY! I already have the sequel, "Affection and Consequence," in the works. A&C will be much longer, and it will deal with a whole new set of issues; but you know, it won't be so dramatic. Okay, scratch that. All my stories are 'dramatic,' but it won't be so angsty. Here are the things you may choose to hate me for in this chapter:

This is a huge cliffhanger.

I've got this huge vision, which probably won't make you like me at all.

Those of you pulling for ObitoxNaruto…will be happy eventually, but not for a while. Those of you pulling for NarutoxOther…will not be satisfied. Even though I'll put Obito and Naruto together, it's not going to be all sappy and romantic. The way I see it…they're ninja. Ninja have _hard _lives. I know, in the manga, we don't really see stuff like this. But…well, have you _seen _Ibiki's _head? _

For all that Naruto is strong, she can't save _everyone._

Anyway. Last chapter, **Mushapi **left a review. Because of this review, I realized that I didn't make this very clear: Naruto's memories weren't sealed. The ninja who were drained of chakra and attacked in the woods were. Remember, earlier Rin noticed that Hoshika and Hisoka tended to those patients. _Naruto _was put in a genjutsu which made her attack herself; she was supposed to die. She lost her memories because when she was attacking herself, she gave herself brain damage. Remember, she had a seizure and spent some time in the hospital learning stuff again? That was the brain damage. Just so it's clear.

And now…here's the last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me, you guys…it makes me feel all gooey inside!

* * *

It wasn't the baby.

It _certainly _wasn't Minato.

No…it was the stress, the shock, the _oh god this is happening._

Kushina wasn't ready. Little Naruto wasn't ready. The village wasn't ready. _Minato _wasn't ready. But the universe has a way of anticipating things and making everything fit together…even if many people get hurt in the process.

Kushina didn't believe in _destiny, _per se…but she _did _believe everything happened for a reason. She just…didn't know what this reason was.

Little Naruto was fighting her way into the world, Rin was holding Kushina's hand, and Rin's friend – Kin – was making sure Naruto wasn't going to get hurt on the way out. Minato was pacing the length of the room, making sure to stay out of the way. Kushina felt like her hips were being forced apart, and she just…_hurt. _All over. She knew she was making pained, grunting noises, but she didn't care. It _hurt._

"C'mon, Kushina-san. Push. Naruto wants to come out! She's excited to get out and see you! Help her, okay? She's counting on you!"

And then, Kushina felt the most _awful _ripping, and Kin sucked in her breath.

"Rin," she said sharply. "Get Riku-senpai."

Rin pried Kushina's fingers off her hand gently, but quickly. "I'll be right back, Kushina-san. Don't worry, okay? We're going to take good care of you."

Kushina could only nod, and cry out when he stomach felt like it was being destroyed from the inside. Kin was trying to tell her something – something about her placenta, maybe? She couldn't hear very well. The pain was making her ears ring and tears run down her face.

Even through the thick walls, Kushina could hear frightened shouts, and the sounds of destruction. Everything was going dark, but…she held onto consciousness to express her parting wish. As a kunoichi, she _knew _when it was time to let go. She was going to die.

"Minato," she gasped, shrieking at another jab of pain. "Save them."

She heard someone's voice, or at least she thought she did. She really wanted to see Naruto, before she died. She wanted to be there to guide her through her life. But it wouldn't happen. There was a moment of quiet acceptance, and then…

There was nothing.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Kushina-san fell into unconsciousness with a smile on her face. Rin, who'd come in just moments before, looked sadly to Kushina-san's husband – for he wasn't Hokage-sama now, or even Minato-sensei. He was a husband in pain, and he wasn't even bothering to hold in the tears.

Outside, the fox drew nearer.

"_Minato…save them."_

It was Kushina-san's last wish. Rin knew that her old sensei hadn't found another alternative. She wasn't allowed to help with the cesarean, but she didn't let go of Kushina-san's hand.

"I…I can't," he said quietly. Anguished. And, as though Kushina-san had been holding on _just _for this, she cracked one eye and whispered.

"Please…Minato...you are strong. Rin…please…"

Rin knew what Kushina-san was asking. She felt tears in her own eyes, and even though Kushina-san was losing her life quickly, and probably couldn't hear, Rin replied, "Of course. I won't let it be like Naruto said it was." She turned her eyes on the Hokage, and willed herself to keep the pity she felt out of them.

"It is her last wish."

He gazed at Rin for a short moment, and then a tremor racked the hospital. Kin cut the umbilical cord.

Without a word, the _Hokage – _it was a transformation, and Rin could _see _it happen – scooped up the little girl lovingly. Rin could still see traces of tears, but there was no more fear on his face. No more anguish. Only determination. He nodded once to Rin, and let his eyes linger on his wife's pale, pale face.

It was more tender than a goodbye kiss could ever be…and Rin knew that Kushina-san, Naruto, and…the old Naruto would be on his mind as he faced the demon.

"Hokage-sama! I insist-"

"Kin, let him go," Rin said quietly. "That little girl is going to save us all. Please…just trust him."

_Please, _she added to herself. _Please let Naruto grow up like she should._

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

There was nothing else he could do. It was history repeating itself, even though it hadn't actually happened yet. He'd racked his _brain – _studied the seal on Naruto's stomach, studied _everything. _The best he could do was modify it, to give the baby extra protection from the _demon._

He laid Naruto down on a nest of blankets on his desk, and gestured to the darkness.

"Kakashi," he said quietly. "Look after her."

"H-hokage-sama!"

"This is the only way I can save you…save them…save _her. _Please help me save her."

And he bit his thumb and smeared kanji in blood all around Naruto – on the desk, on the floor, even halfway up the walls. Eight points.

In ink mixed with blood, he painted a design on the little girl's stomach, careful to keep the moisture falling from his eyes away from any part of the seal.

"You are a hero, Naruto," he whispered as he was done, kissing her forehead, all the while pumping chakra into the seal. "Don't ever think otherwise."

To Kakashi, he said, "Don't let her forget it."

"O-of course, Hokage-sama." Minato heard the slight quaver in Kakashi's voice, and smiled grimly.

"Naruto would tell you to stop being such a brick," he commented. "I'm off…please take care of Rin and Obito. They need you."

He didn't wait for a reply, but instead left through the window and took off at a run, throwing a kunai right in front of the fox as soon as he had a clear shot and cutting his palm deeply in preparation.

"It's the Hokage-sama," someone shouted. "Fall back!"

A few seals later, and Gamabunta fought with Minato for the last time. "This is your choice, kid?"

"You bet it is," he replied. "When I accepted the position of Hokage, I promised to keep my people safe."

The hand seals for the sealing technique had to be done perfectly – fortunately, he'd perfected them. He only hoped this would be enough to protect Naruto from the evil chakra of the fox.

He thought, with a crude sort of relief, about the first Naruto, and how he was glad she was already dead because she wouldn't have to kill herself. He thought about Obito, who would be sad and probably angry that he had been out of the village, on a mission. He thought about Rin, who was so supportive, even though she was losing two more people. He thought about Kakashi, and willed him to be strong. He ended the string of seals, and put all of his will into trapping the fox; the Shinigami made the deal willingly. He thought about the absurdness of the situation – he was making a deal with the god of death!

And then he saw Kushina's face in his head, and he didn't think about anything at all.

**I'm just a line break…don't mind me!**

Near the border of Fire Country, Mochizuki Naruto awoke with a start, clutching her chest and breathing heavily. She wiped her eyes and wondered why she was crying…

…And why she suddenly felt like she'd lost something very important to her.

Aloud, she wondered, "Who is Minato-sensei?"

* * *

OMG! Do you guys totally hate me? I kinda hate _myself _for leaving it like this. But...well. It's all part of my vision. By the way, for those of you who want to know about chibi Naruto...if Naruto is here now, how can she live as a child? The answer, my lovelies, comes in "Affection and Consequence."

I'll probably post a short sidestory, like I did between "Cause and Effect" and "Effect and Affection." It will detail the adventures of Mochizuki Naruto, and it will be kind of lighthearted, like "Years Go By" was.


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